Wait… Strawberries Aren’t Actually Berries?

I know… I had the same reaction.

How can something called a strawberry not actually be a berry? It sounds made up, but it’s actually true.

Most of us grow up thinking strawberries are the definition of a berry. They’re small, sweet, and it’s literally in the name. But scientists don’t classify fruits by what we call them; they classify them by how they grow.

A “true berry” has to develop from one flower with one ovary, and the seeds have to be on the inside of the fruit. By that definition, bananas, grapes, blueberries, tomatoes, and even eggplants are all considered true berries.

So what about strawberries?

Photo by Heather Barnes on Unsplash

Those tiny yellow dots on the outside that everyone thinks are seeds? They’re actually tiny fruits called achenes, and each one has a seed inside of it. The red part we eat isn’t technically the fruit at all. It’s the part of the flower that grows bigger after it’s pollinated. Because strawberries develop differently, they’re classified as an aggregate fruit instead of a true berry.

And here’s another fun fact; Raspberries and blackberries aren’t true berries either.

I think facts like this are so interesting because they remind us that there are things we see every day but never really question. We eat strawberries all the time without ever thinking about how they actually grow. Then one random day you find out bananas are berries and strawberries aren’t, and suddenly nothing makes sense anymore.

Science has a funny way of making us rethink the little things we thought we already knew. So the next time someone says strawberries are their favorite berry, you can surprise them with this fact. Just be prepared for them to look at you like you’re making it up; I definitely thought someone was joking the first time I heard it!