# Are strawberries fruits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [March 4, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546 "2007-03-04T17:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![botany103\_yahoo.com](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b77776/32.png) [@botany103\_yahoo.com](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/botany103_yahoo.com)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/1 "2007-03-04T17:05:37Z")
The strawberry explanation was close…but no cigar. Strawberry plants do produce fruits; it’s just not the part you think of. The fleshy sweet part of the “strawberry” is actually formed from the receptacle of the flower. This is essentially where a flower meets its stalk. The “seeds” that we see on the outside of this are in actuality the fruit. The fruits from a strawberry are tiny achenes, dry fruits with the seed tucked away inside. Sunflower “seeds” are a well known achene as are most fruits from the family Asteraceae (asters, sunflowers, thistles and others). It’s important to note that a fruit doesn’t have to be fleshy, it simply has to be formed from the walls of a plant ovary. There are a wide variety of dry fruits including grains, nuts and dry capsules. The part of the strawberry that we eat is referred to technically as an “accessory fruit”, as it is formed as an accessory to the true fruits that stud the outside. Most biology majors missed this exam question in my botany lab. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/2 "2007-03-04T17:42:43Z")
Just so other users can follow along in the discussion, here’s [the original report](http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mstrawbe.html) that spawned this thread. Or seeded it, or vegetatively offshot it, or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [March 12, 2007, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/3 "2007-03-12T19:23:57Z")
[QUOTE=botany103@yahoo.com] It’s important to note that a fruit doesn’t have to be fleshy, it simply has to be formed from the walls of a plant ovary. There are a wide variety of dry fruits including grains, nuts and dry capsules. [/QUOTE] I’m sure you’re correct in a botanical sence, I’d say you know what you’re talking about. However, as has been mentioned before, words carry differant meaning when used in a differant context. For example fruits in a culinary sense are almost always sweet. Certainly not the case in botany. It’s like asking what the three primary colors are. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 10:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/4 "2007-03-13T10:07:28Z")
Sure, but since the column is discussing the botanical definition, the OP has a point. I would take issue with the column’s statement: “strawberries do not normally reproduce by seeds”. It’s just false when stated like that; strawberries happen to have more than one reproductive strategy; including runners _and_ seeds. In horticulture, strawberry plants are often propagated by runners, but that’s not the same as “strawberries do not normally reproduce by seeds” - left to themselves, they’ll do both. ---
**Author:** ![essell](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/34f0e0/32.png) [@essell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/essell)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/5 "2007-03-13T12:38:17Z")
[QUOTE=Mangetout] left to themselves, they’ll do both. [/QUOTE] So [fruit](http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=fruit) used as slang for homosexual is wrong? Maybe it should mean bisexual ? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/6 "2007-03-13T14:50:50Z")
So, just making sure - the tomato is a botanical fruit, right? ---
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [March 13, 2007, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/7 "2007-03-13T17:58:00Z")
Yes, a tomato is a botanical fruit. More specifically, a berry. I actually just learned this in a plant biology lecture today. Who knew? ---
**Author:** ![Mister\_Rik](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mister_rik/32/491_2.png) [@Mister\_Rik](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mister_Rik)\ **Post date:** [March 18, 2007, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/8 "2007-03-18T23:19:09Z")
[QUOTE=stucco] Yes, a tomato is a botanical fruit. More specifically, a berry. I actually just learned this in a plant biology lecture today. Who knew? [/QUOTE] I remember my high school biology teacher pointing out that a watermelon is a berry 😉 ---
**Author:** ![gromehown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a5b964/32.png) [@gromehown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gromehown)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/9 "2007-03-27T15:52:34Z")
The link (for Strawberry facts) in that column does not work. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/10 "2007-03-27T22:41:13Z")
If one defines a “berry” so broadly that watermelons are considered berries, is there any (botanical) fruit which _isn’t_ a berry? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2007, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/11 "2007-03-27T23:06:34Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] If one defines a “berry” so broadly that watermelons are considered berries, is there any (botanical) fruit which _isn’t_ a berry? [/QUOTE] Drupes (such as peaches, olives, and cherries) and pomes (such as apples and pears) are not berries. Blackberries, despite carrying the berry name, are not berries, botanically speaking. I believe blackberries are aggregate fruits, with each little bump being a drupe. Watermelons, squashes, pumpkins, etc., are pepos, a type of berry. Hesperidia (the citrus fruits) are also botanically berries. ---
**Author:** ![naita](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naita/32/5862_2.png) [@naita](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/naita)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-strawberries-fruits/394546/12 "2007-03-28T14:18:04Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos] If one defines a “berry” so broadly that watermelons are considered berries, is there any (botanical) fruit which _isn’t_ a berry? [/QUOTE] It’s not actually a broad definition, just a definition that watermelons happen to fit right into.