# There are only 3 indigenous fruits in America? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 26, 2005, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672 "2005-01-26T00:46:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 10:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/41 "2005-01-26T22:53:38Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > Darn it, **Thudlow** , I was gonna be the first to suggest mulberries! > > Um, what about Hawaiian fruits - pineapple and coconut? Pineapple is actually native to South America. Coconut was very widespread on tropical seacoasts nearly around the world, not just Hawaii. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/42 "2005-01-26T23:07:45Z")
I used to eat the fruit from wild cherry trees–the kind you make furniture from–when I was a lass wandering in the woods of Michigan and Indiana. They were small, a bit bitter and mostly seed, but they are edible and native. ---
**Author:** ![robcaro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@robcaro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robcaro)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/43 "2005-01-26T23:30:16Z")
What about boysenberries. I know that they grow wild in Oregon. Delicious big berries. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 12:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/44 "2005-01-27T00:02:47Z")
> [@robcaro](#): > > What about boysenberries. I know that they grow wild in Oregon. Delicious big berries. No, boysenberrys are “manmade” and named after the man who developed them. If you read the history of Knott’s Berry Farm you can find out about it. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/45 "2005-01-27T00:45:59Z")
> [@LifeOnWry](#): > > **Doobieous** - you’ve got cherimoya, paw-paw and custard apple listed as three separate fruits - aren’t they all the same fruit? No. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/46 "2005-01-27T01:31:52Z")
> [@Posted by LifeOnWry](#): > > Doobieous - you’ve got cherimoya, paw-paw and custard apple listed as three separate fruits - aren’t they all the same fruit? This just shows the problems of using common names. All three species are members of the Custard Apple family, Annonaceae. The true Custard Apple is _Annona reticulata_ of the West Indies. However, the name is sometimes applied to several other fruits in the same genus, including the Cherimoya _Annona cherimola_, the Sweetsop _A. squamosa_, and the Soursop or Guanabana _A. muricata_. Pawpaw usually refers another species in the Custard Apple family, the North American _Asimina triloba_, but is sometimes used for the Papaya _Carica papaya_. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/47 "2005-01-27T02:44:44Z")
A few more new world native fruits: [Mamey fruit](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/mamey.html) [Sapodilla](http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/sapodilla.html) [Chayote](http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/1492/chayote.html) ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/48 "2005-01-27T02:51:20Z")
Let’s make this clear. The statement related to the contiguous United States. Not the Carribean… Not South America. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/49 "2005-01-27T02:59:02Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Let’s make this clear. The statement related to the contiguous United States. Ohh, Little America. Your OP wasn’t clear on that. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/50 "2005-01-27T03:02:08Z")
> [@Squink](#): > > Ohh, Little America. Your OP wasn’t clear on that. When you use the word America…you are referring to the entire new world? ---
**Author:** ![Raygun99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Raygun99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raygun99)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/51 "2005-01-27T03:08:42Z")
> [@Doobieous](#): > > If we extend “America” to mean North America: > Serviceberry aka the saskatoon berry. Also choke cherries although it’s possible you had another synonym in that list. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/52 "2005-01-27T03:19:19Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > When you use the word America…you are referring to the entire new world? Well, there is no country called America but there was a whole continent before the US came to existence called America. [/nitpick] Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/53 "2005-01-27T03:47:56Z")
Why are you specifically excluding Alaska and Hawaii? Aren’t they a part of “America”? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/54 "2005-01-27T03:58:51Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > When you use the word America…you are referring to the entire new world? That is one meaning of the word, and one that many people outside the US might assume. Use of “America” to automatically mean only the United States is a bit provincial. Your OP was very unclear about what area you were actually talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/55 "2005-01-27T04:07:11Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > That is one meaning of the word, and one that many people outside the US might assume. Use of “America” to automatically mean only the United States is a bit provincial. Your OP was very unclear about what area you were actually talking about. Oh give me a break. If this thread is going to quibble over semantics it might as well be closed. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/56 "2005-01-27T04:36:23Z")
You asked a botanical question. Plants are not big on respecting _political_ boundries. They pay more attention to geographic connections; New world, old world, Africa, Eurasia, Australia, the Americas, north America, south America. ---
**Author:** ![Doobieous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/da6949/32.png) [@Doobieous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doobieous)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/57 "2005-01-27T06:24:35Z")
> [@Reeder](#): > > Let’s make this clear. The statement related to the contiguous United States. > Not the Carribean… > > Not South America. Ok then (i’m listing common names only because I don’t want to spend 3 hours looking up species :)) I’ll list latin names where I remember. Blackberry (Rubus) Thimbleberry (Rubus) Salmon Berry (Rubus) Blueberry ( Vaccinum corymbosa) Huckleberry (Vaccinum ovatum, V. parvifolia) Oregon Grape (Mahonia) Golden Currant (Ribes aureum) Elderberry (Sambucus mexicana) Strawberry (Fragaria) Muscadine Grape (Vitis) California Grape (Vitis californica) California Rose (Rosa californica - the hips were made into jams or teas) Pawpaw (Asimina triloba, tetramera) coccoloba (Coccoloba uvifera) Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) Various wild cherries (Prunus) Indian Plum (Oemleria cerasiformis) Pond Apple (Annona glabra) Serviceberry (Amelanchier) Marlberry (Ardisia crenata) Lemonade berry (Rhus integrifolia) Sugar bush (Rhus ovata) Mulberry (morus) Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) Chronos: Blueberry is generally Vaccinum corymbosum. Other species of Vaccinum are called blueberries, but huckleberry is Vaccinum ovatum. California’s red huckleberry is V. parvifolium. So if we’re going by genus alone, yes Blueberries and huckleberries are the same, but if we’re going by species, then no, they’re not really the same. As to “Hawaiian” fruits, most of the fruits people think of as Hawaiian (Coconut, Mango, Pineapple) are from other lands. Coconut came with the Hawaiians, Mango and Pineapple came with other settlers. Many of Hawaii’s native flowers are pretty inconspicuous too (compared to the flamboyant tropicals we think of like Plumeria, ginger, and Pikake), such as the native orchids which are small flowered and not too showy. However, the native hibiscus are quite showy. However, Ohelo, and Ōhelo kau lā au berries (Vaccinum reticulatum, and V. calycinum) are native - they’re two species of Vaccinum, the genus which includes Blueberries and Huckleberries. ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 6:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/58 "2005-01-27T06:50:57Z")
Add salal (Gaultheria shallon) to **Doobieous** ’s list. It was on the earlier list, but unaccountably fell off the second one. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 12:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/59 "2005-01-27T12:22:23Z")
Leif Erikson named the east coast of Canada “Vinland” because of the grapes he found growing there. I’m not sure if I remember this right. Some historians objected because grapes didn’t grow that far north? And suggested there was some kind of berry in Newfoundland that earned the name Vinland? ---
**Author:** ![Spoke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a88e57/32.png) [@Spoke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoke)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2005, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672/60 "2005-01-27T16:22:26Z")
Also add to **Doobieous** ’s list: [Dewberry](http://reliant.teknowledge.com/DAML/Corpus/d/dewberry.html) (Rubus trivialis, Rubus flagellaris, Rubus hispidus, Rubus canadensis) [Passionfruit](http://www.rain-tree.com/maracuja.htm) (Passiflora) (Native to both North and South America according to link.) [Prickly Pear](http://www.desertusa.com/magoct97/oct_pa/du_prkpear.html) (Opuntia) And [here’s an interesting chart](http://www.csdl.tamu.edu/FLORA/328Fall98/328FruitLab/fruits2.htm) showing the origins of various fruits and nuts (with pictures). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-are-only-3-indigenous-fruits-in-america/286672.md?page=4)