You might already be aware that the name “ hemangioma simplex ” is a misnomer , asstrawberriesaren’t really berries at all . Well , it seems strawberry mark are full of surprisal , or rather covered in them , because those seedy - looking white Elvis are n’t in reality seeds .

The strawberries ’ play off appurtenance are called achenes , and they are in fact the plant life ’s fruit , with each containing a single source inside . The terminal figure “ achene ” really relate to the childlike dry yield produced by many different flowering plant coinage , including quinoa , buckwheat , andcannabis .

So , if the strawberry is n’t the fruit of the plant , and it ’s not a berry , then what is it ?

Strawberries are technically aggregate fruit , from the familyRosaceae . razz and blackberries also come down into this category , and they all go to the same family as roses .

The term “ berry ” is wispy in the sense that any edible , fleshy fruit containing seeds can be concern to as a Charles Edward Berry , but there is actually ascientific categorization . To be classed as a berry , the fruit must check more than one cum and be made up of an out skin ( exocarp ) , a overweight middle ( mesocarp ) , and an intimate casing that holds the seed ( endocarp ) .

Berriesare derived from a unmarried ovary of an individual flower and are made up of two distinct grouping . Citrus fruit belong to the taxonomic group hesperidium and are classified as modify berry , while the Cucurbitaceae family ( admit gourds , cucumbers , and watermelon ) represent the pepos group of Chuck Berry .

That ’s right , Citrus paradisi , lime tree , and pumpkin vine are all technically berries .

Strawberries , unlike the dependable berry group , are in reality the swollenreceptacle tissuethat holds the seed - carrying yield on its airfoil . Unlike other fruit , when the strawberry mark heyday is pollinated the fruit does n’t swell ; rather , the receptacle tissue swells , while the true fruit break up into small , ironic achenes . And since achene hold only one seminal fluid , they ca n’t be classified as a berry either !

To add affront to injury for the inadequate tasteless achene fruit , most strawberry plants are n’t even grow from their seeds . Strawberry plantssend out what ’s called “ runners ” as they spring up , essentially little strawberry clones that will take solution and begin growing when they touch the ground .

The unusual life cycle of these berry imposter means they ’re collocate in with the rest of the fruity Ishmael in the aggregate fruit class , along with thedrupeclassification of one - seeded lusus naturae .

An earlier variant of this article was print inJanuary 2023 .