'short-fruited' originates from Modern English, a compound of the adjective 'short' and the noun 'fruit' with the adjectival suffix '-ed' to indicate 'having', so it literally means 'having short fruits'.

'short' comes from Old English 'sceort' meaning 'cut short' or 'not long', while 'fruit' comes from Latin 'fructus' via Old French 'fruit'; the compound form 'short-fruited' is a descriptive formation in Modern English used in botanical contexts.

The components originally meant 'not long' ('short') and 'produce' or 'fruit' ('fruit'); combined in Modern English they specifically describe plants 'having short fruits' and have retained that literal descriptive meaning in botanical usage.