Four fruits that are true berries (size not to scale). Clockwise from right:
Concord grapes, persimmon, red gooseberries, red currants (top)

The word berry has two meanings: one based on a botanical definition, the other on common identification. Concord grapes are a Cultivar derived from the Grape species Vitis labrusca (a This article refers to the edible fruit For the British construction company see Persimmon plc; for the racehorse see Persimmon (horse. The gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa ( syn R grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa The Red currant ( Ribes rubrum) is a member of the genus Ribes in the Gooseberry family Grossulariaceae, native to parts of western Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life True berries are a simple fruit having seeds and edible pulp produced from a single ovary. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored In general terms eating (formally ingestion) is the process of consuming Food to provide for the Nutritional needs of an Animal, particularly In the Flowering plants an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or Gynoecium. In common parlance, however, berries are more broadly recognized as small, round or semi-oblong, usually brightly colored, sweet or sour fruit desirable in a healthy diet.

True berries

Several types of common "berries", none of which is a berry by botanical definition:
The blueberry is a false berry, raspberries and blackberries are aggregate fruit, and strawberries are accessory fruit. An epigynous berry or false berry is an Accessory fruit found in certain Plant species with an inferior ovary, distinguishing it from A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single Flower or multiple flowers An accessory fruit, false fruit, spurious fruit, epigynous fruit, syconium or pseudocarp is a Fruit where the fleshy

In botany, the berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. Botany, plant science(s, phytology, or plant biology is a branch of Biology and is the scientific study of plant Life The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. In the Flowering plants an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or Gynoecium. A Fruit in Botany refers to a mature ovary. In fleshy fruits the outer often edible layer is the pericarp, which is the tissue that develops The flowers of these plants have a superior ovary and one or more carpels within a thin covering and fleshy interiors. In the Flowering plants an ovary is a part of the female reproductive organ of the flower or Gynoecium. A gynoecium (from Ancient Greek gyne, "woman" is the Female reproductive part of a Flower. The seeds are embedded in the common flesh of the ovary. A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Examples of botanical berries include the tomato, grape, lychee, loquat, lucuma, plantain, avocado, persimmon, eggplant, guava, uchuva (ground cherry), and chili pepper. The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum, syn Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a herbaceous usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is The Lychee ( Litchi chinensis) also spelled Litchi (the US FDA spelling or Laichi and Lichu, Chinese: 荔枝 The loquat ( Eriobotrya japonica) is a fruit tree in the subfamily Maloideae of the family Rosaceae, indigenous to southeastern China. The lúcuma ( Pouteria lucuma) is a Subtropical Fruit of Andean origin (sometimes known as lucmo or eggfruit in English native The plantain is a crop in the genus Musa and is generally used for cooking in contrast to the soft sweet Banana (which is sometimes called the The avocado ( Persea americana) (from Nahuatl āhuacatl) also known as aguacate ( Spanish) butter pear or This article refers to the edible fruit For the British construction company see Persimmon plc; for the racehorse see Persimmon (horse. The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal ( Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades Guava is a Genus of about 100 Species of Tropical Shrubs and small Trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. Physalis peruviana, commonly known as Physalis, is indigenous to South America, but was cultivated in South Africa in the region The chili pepper, chilli pepper, or chili, is the fruit of the plants from the Genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade

Modified berries

The fruit of citrus, such as the orange, kumquat and lemon, is a modified berry called a hesperidium. Citrus is a common term and Genus of Flowering plants in the family Rutaceae, originating in tropical and subtropical southeast regions of An orange —specifically the sweet orange —is the Citrus fruit Citrus sinensis ( syn The kumquats or cumquats are a group of small fruit-bearing Trees in the genus Fortunella related to the Citrus in the Flowering The lemon ( Citrus × limon) is a hybrid in cultivated wild plants A hesperidium (plural hesperidia) is a modified Berry with a tough leathery rind

The fruit of cucumbers and their relatives are modified berries called "pepoes". The cucumber ( Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the Gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same An epigynous berry or false berry is an Accessory fruit found in certain Plant species with an inferior ovary, distinguishing it from A plant that bears berries is referred to as bacciferous.

True berries are distinguishable from false berries like blueberries and cranberries for which the fruit is formed from other parts of the flower, not just the ovary. An epigynous berry or false berry is an Accessory fruit found in certain Plant species with an inferior ovary, distinguishing it from Blueberries are Flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect Cranberries are a group of Evergreen dwarf Shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccos Also not true berries, aggregate fruits like raspberries are collections of small fruits, and accessory fruits like strawberries are formed from parts of the plant other than the flower. A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single Flower or multiple flowers The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus An accessory fruit, false fruit, spurious fruit, epigynous fruit, syconium or pseudocarp is a Fruit where the fleshy Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide As explained below, none of these is a true berry.

Common usage

In common parlance, berry refers to any small, sweet, juicy and brightly-colored fruit. The term fruit has different meanings dependent on context and the term is not synonymous in Food preparation and Biology. By contrasting in color with their background, berries are more attractive to animals that eat them, aiding in the dispersal of the plant's seeds. Biological dispersal refers to those processes by which a Species maintains ecosystem Most berries are edible, but some are poisonous. In the context of Biology, poisons are substances that can cause damage, Illness, or Death to Organisms usually by

Berry colors are due to natural pigments synthesized by the plant. For the drug referred to as "pigment" see Black tar heroin. Medical research^[1] has uncovered medicinal properties of pigmented polyphenols, such as flavonoids, anthocyanins, and tannins and other phytochemicals localized mainly in berry skins and seeds. Polyphenols are a group of chemical substances found in plants characterized by the presence of more than one Phenol unit or building block per molecule The term flavonoid (or bioflavonoid refers to a class of Plant Secondary metabolites According to the IUPAC nomenclature they can be classified into Not to be confused with Anthocyanidin, their sugar free counterparts Tannins are Astringent, bitter plant Polyphenols that either bind and Precipitate or shrink Proteins The astringency from the tannins is what Phytochemicals are plant-derived chemical compounds under scientific research for their potential health-promoting properties but with unproved benefits The skin is the outer covering of living tissue of an animal (or plant A seed (in some plants referred to as a kernel) is a small embryonic Plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat usually with some stored Berry pigments are usually antioxidants and thus have oxygen radical absorbance capacity ("ORAC") that is high among plant foods. An antioxidant is a Molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity ( ORAC) is a method of measuring Antioxidant capacities of different foods ^[2] Together with good nutrient content, ORAC distinguishes several berries within a new category of functional foods called "superfruits", a rapidly-growing multi-billion dollar industry that began in 2005^[3] and is identified by DataMonitor as one of the top 10 food categories for growth in 2008^[4]. Functional food or medicinal food is any fresh or processed Food claimed to have a health-promoting and/or disease-preventing property beyond the basic Nutritional Superfruit, a marketing term first used in the food and beverage industry in 2005 refers to

A 2007 report combined four criteria — nutrient content, antioxidant qualities, medical research intensity and commercial success — giving an approximate rank of commercial activity for six exotic superfruits, including three berries — wolfberry, sea buckthorn and açaí — as the highest rated^[5]. The sea-buckthorns ( Hippophae L are Deciduous Shrubs in the genus Hippophae, family Elaeagnaceae. The açaí palm ( is a member of the genus Euterpe, which contains 7 species of palms native to tropical Central and South America, from

Not a botanical berry

Many "berries" are not actual berries by the scientific definition, but fall into one of these categories:

• False berries like blueberry and cranberry, are epigynous, made from a part of the plant other than a single ovary. An epigynous berry or false berry is an Accessory fruit found in certain Plant species with an inferior ovary, distinguishing it from
• Compound fruit, which includes:
  • Aggregate fruit are multiple fruits with seeds from different ovaries of a single flower, such as blackberry, raspberry, and boysenberry
  • Multiple fruit, being the fruits of separate flowers, packed closely together. A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single Flower or multiple flowers A compound fruit is one that develops from several ovaries in either a single Flower or multiple flowers The BlackBerry is a Wireless Handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus A boysenberry is a cross between a Raspberry, and the Pacific blackberry. Multiple fruit s are fruits that are formed from a cluster of flowers (called an Inflorescence) growing on a Catkin. The mulberry, for example, is essentially like a cluster of grapes, but tiny and compressed into one "berry"[1].
• Other accessory fruit, where the edible part is not generated by the ovary, such as the strawberry for which the seed-like achenes are actually the "fruit" derived from the ovary. An accessory fruit, false fruit, spurious fruit, epigynous fruit, syconium or pseudocarp is a Fruit where the fleshy Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide An achene is a type of simple dry Fruit produced by many species of Flowering plants Achenes are "monocarpellate" (formed from one Carpel

Alaska wild "berries" from the Innoko National Wildlife Refuge. The Blackcurrant ( Ribes nigrum) is a species of Ribes Berry native to central and northern Europe and northern Asia. The Red currant ( Ribes rubrum) is a member of the genus Ribes in the Gooseberry family Grossulariaceae, native to parts of western The gooseberry Ribes uva-crispa ( syn R grossularia) is a species of Ribes, native to Europe, northwestern Africa Cranberries are a group of Evergreen dwarf Shrubs or trailing vines in the genus Vaccinium subgenus Oxycoccos Blueberries are Flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect The BlackBerry is a Wireless Handheld device introduced in 1999 as a two-way pager The raspberry (plural raspberries) is the edible Fruit of a multitude of plant species in the subgenus Idaeobatus of the genus Rubus A boysenberry is a cross between a Raspberry, and the Pacific blackberry. Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide The tomato ( Solanum lycopersicum, syn Lycopersicon lycopersicum) is a herbaceous usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family The eggplant, aubergine, or brinjal ( Solanum melongena) is a plant of the family Solanaceae (also known as the nightshades Guava is a Genus of about 100 Species of Tropical Shrubs and small Trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. The lúcuma ( Pouteria lucuma) is a Subtropical Fruit of Andean origin (sometimes known as lucmo or eggfruit in English native The chili pepper, chilli pepper, or chili, is the fruit of the plants from the Genus Capsicum, which are members of the nightshade The pomegranate ( Punica granatum) is a Fruit -bearing Deciduous Shrub or small Tree growing to between five and eight metres tall The avocado ( Persea americana) (from Nahuatl āhuacatl) also known as aguacate ( Spanish) butter pear or The kiwifruit (or kiwi is the edible Berry of a cultivar group of the woody Vine Actinidia deliciosa and For the Tokyo University supercomputer see Gravity Pipe. GRAPE, or GRA phics P rogramming E nvironment is Pumpkin is a Gourd -like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae (which also includes gourds This article refers to the Dried fruit shell For the alternative country musical group of a similar name see The Gourds. The cucumber ( Cucumis sativus) is a widely cultivated plant in the Gourd family Cucurbitaceae, which includes squash, and in the same Melon is a term used for various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruit An orange —specifically the sweet orange —is the Citrus fruit Citrus sinensis ( syn The lemon ( Citrus × limon) is a hybrid in cultivated wild plants Lime is a term referring to a number of different fruits (generally Citruses, both Species and hybrids, which are typically round green to yellow The grapefruit is a subtropical Citrus Tree grown for its Fruit which was originally named the "forbidden fruit " of Barbados For the fruit see Banana. For other meanings see Banana (disambiguation. The species is dioeceous, with male and female Flowers on different plants Pineapple ( Ananas comosus) is the common name for an edible Tropical Plant and also its Fruit It is native to the southern part of Brazil Ficus is a Genus of about 850 Species of woody Trees Shrubs Vines Epiphytes and hemi-epiphytes in the family The apple is the pomaceous Fruit of the apple tree Species Malus domestica in the Rose family Rosaceae. The peach ( Prunus persica) is a species of Prunus native to China that bears an edible juicy fruit also called a peach This article is about the Cherry berry also classified as fruit for the ornamental tree See Cherry Blossom. Green beans ( American English) or French beans ( British English) also called squeaky beans are the unripe Fruits of any kind of Bean The sunflower seed is the Fruit of the Sunflower ( Helianthus annuus) The Innoko National Wildlife Refuge is a Wildlife refuge in western Alaska in the United States.

Notes

See also

• List of fruits
• Epigynous berry
• Accessory fruit
• Aggregate fruit
• Multiple fruit

External links

• The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens - Description of berries
• Encarta.msn.com - Differentiation between true berries, pepos, and hesperidia
• United States National Berry Crops Initiative
• Berry Health Benefits Network - Scientists working on the health properties of berries