Content
Strawberries can be found in almost every garden plot. After all, its juicy, sweet, aromatic fruits are liked not only by adults, but also by children. And many people, when asked about the identity of the fruits of the crop, will immediately answer that they are berries. However, from a botanical point of view this is not so. Therefore, you should figure out whether strawberries are a berry or a fruit, or perhaps a nut, and what signs indicate that they belong to each species.
Strawberries are second only to black currants in terms of total vitamin content.
Description of strawberries
This crop belongs to the Rosaceae family, genus Fragaria, which includes both garden and wild species. Its scientific name is garden strawberry, and its type of plant is herbaceous shrub. Strawberry received its popular name because of the spherical shape of the fruit, since “club” means round.
This perennial plant, unlike strawberries, forms a larger bush. Its height reaches 20-25 cm, depending on the variety. The leaves are trifoliate, light or dark green, located on long petioles, covered with small hairs on the reverse side. They form a rosette.
The inflorescences are a multi-flowered shield. The growth point is located in the center of the bush. The flowers are simple, consisting of five petals in white or pink, usually bisexual.Peduncles rise above the foliage.
The rhizome is fibrous, thickened towards the soil surface, and has a brown tint. On annual short shoots, creeping tendrils grow during the season, on which young rosettes appear. They can be used for crop propagation.
The fruit is an overgrown juicy receptacle. When ripe, it acquires a red, less often white, pink tint. The taste is sweet with a small amount of sourness.
Is it true that strawberries are nuts?
According to the botanical classification, the strawberry fruit is a nut. However, not in the sense that it is covered with a hard shell and has an edible part inside, but refers to a multi-nut. After all, many seeds are formed on the overgrown, succulent receptacle of the crop. There are about 180 of them on one fruit. And they are the nuts. Their difference from achenes is that they are formed not in the lower ovary, but on the surface of the fruit.
Therefore, from a botanical point of view, many familiar berries and fruits actually have a completely different identity, and strawberries are no exception. Such confusion arose because the designation of the fruit appeared many centuries ago, and only much later were botanists able to find their exact name.
The most delicious strawberries are those grown in the UK.
Why is strawberry a fruit?
Now we need to figure out whether it’s true that strawberries are a fruit. After all, this is what they call a juicy fruit with a lot of pulp. It doesn’t matter that the taste may not be sweet. Based on this, we can say that strawberries also belong to this category.
The concept of “fruit” is considered household and economic.It mainly differs from berries in its larger size. When eating, it is bitten off rather than placed whole in the mouth.
Signs of strawberries
Berries are a type of fruit, but smaller in size. According to botany, this is the name given to fruits with a dense leathery outer shell, juicy pulp inside and several dense small seeds. The berry can develop from the upper or lower ovary. In the latter case, a dried perianth is formed at the top.
If the fruit develops like a berry, but not only the ovary, but also the receptacle is involved in this process, then it is usually called a false berry. In this case, true fruit-nuts can form both on the surface and inside the fruit. Based on this, we can say that strawberries belong to the category of false berries. Therefore, the fruits of this crop cannot be accurately attributed to any specific classification.
Interesting Facts
Strawberries are grown in many countries around the world. And every year, thanks to the efforts of breeders, more and more new types of crops appear. This makes it possible to significantly expand its distribution area. However, despite the fact that strawberries are known to almost every person, no one knows everything about this unique crop.
The most interesting facts:
- Scientists have found that strawberries contain 35 thousand genes, while humans have no more than 25 thousand.
- In terms of vitamin C content, false apples of this crop are significantly superior to lemons. In 100 g of fresh fruit, the concentration of ascorbic acid is 60 mg, which is enough to meet a person’s daily requirement.
- In the small Belgian town of Vepion there is a museum dedicated to strawberries. The exhibits presented there tell about the history of the origin of the culture and existing legends. And next to the museum there is a garden in which many varieties are grown, and a shop where visitors are sold strawberry treats and drinks.
- For three years now, the largest berry in the world has been considered a fruit that was grown in Japan. Its weight was 250 g, diameter – 30 cm, height – 8 cm, and width – 15 cm. At the same time, the berry was sweet, tasty and aromatic.
- When planting strawberries next to spinach, garlic, parsley, onions, lettuce, sage and borage, the crop's yield and its resistance to diseases and pests increase. And mulching the plantings of this crop with pine needles helps improve the taste of its false berries.
Strawberries have a beneficial effect on the functioning of many internal organs and systems of humans.
Conclusion
It is impossible to make a final conclusion that strawberries are a berry or a fruit, since they combine not only the characteristics of these fruits, but also of a multi-nut. However, this is not important for ordinary people. After all, affiliation does not change the fact that strawberries have a pleasant taste and aroma. Therefore, gardeners and farmers are accustomed to calling it a berry.
