Bananas are berries, but strawberries are not: In botanical terms, a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. By this definition, bananas are berries, while strawberries are not because they develop from a flower with multiple ovaries.
Let’s delve a bit deeper into the botanical classification of bananas and strawberries:
Bananas: Botanically speaking, bananas are classified as berries. A berry is a type of simple fruit that develops from the ovary of a flower and contains seeds. Bananas fit this definition because they develop from a single ovary, and the seeds are embedded within the fruit. However, the seeds found in most cultivated bananas are small and not fully developed, which is why we don’t usually notice them when eating the fruit.
Strawberries: Strawberries, surprisingly, are not considered true berries despite their name. In botanical terms, a berry must develop from a flower with one ovary and contain seeds on the inside. However, in strawberries, the seeds are located on the exterior of the fruit, embedded in the skin. What we typically refer to as the “seeds” on a strawberry are actually called “achenes.” These tiny seed-like structures are the actual fruits, and the fleshy part we eat is just the receptacle of the flower.
So, in summary:
- Bananas are berries because they develop from a single ovary and contain seeds (though they are often small and underdeveloped).
- Strawberries are not berries because they develop from a flower with multiple ovaries. And the seeds are on the outside (achenes) rather than inside the fleshy part.
Botanical classifications can sometimes be surprising. And these examples show that common names we use for fruits don’t always align with their scientific categorization.
