Berry fruit

Blackberry, Thimbleberry and Raspberry

Blackberries and raspberries are classified as aggregate fruits because they are clusters of one-seeded drupelets, each cluster of drupelets developing from a single flower. The drupelets are typically eaten as a cluster, and not individually. Like other fruits, the origin of blackberries and raspberries is very complicated and there are numerous cultivated varieties that have been developed through the centuries. The main red raspberries grown commercially come from Rubus idaeus, a widespread North American species. The origin of many cultivars of true blackberries include the North American black raspberry R. occidentalis, the European cut-leaved blackberry (R. laciniatus), and the Pacific blackberry or dewberry (R. ursinus). The latter species is also the source of the 'Loganberry,' 'Youngberry' and 'Boysenberry.' Actually, a cross between an octoploid California blackberry (possibly R. ursinus) and a European raspberry, first discovered in the garden of Joshua Logan, gave rise to the loganberry, a popular fruit in the western United States, where it is used for pies and jams. North American blackberries are also the source of an edible purple dye used to label meats with the familiar USDA ratings.

Strawberry

The strawberry is another very beautiful aggregate fruit that develops from a single white flower. It is composed of numerous, small, yellowish-brown, one-seeded fruits (called achenes) which are embedded in a swollen, fleshy, red receptacle. The tiny achenes are only found in the outer (surface) tissue of the strawberry receptacle, and produce the slight, gritty texture of the fruit. Most of the common cultivated varieties come from Fragaria x ananassa, a hybrid between Virginia strawberry F. virginiana of eastern North America and the widespread beach strawberry F. chiloensis of North and South America. The generic name Fragaria is derived from the Latin fragrans, referring to the sweet fragrance of the fruit. Strawberries are an attractive and delicious fruit with a high content of vitamins A and C.

 Aggregate fruit of a hybrid strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) showing the individual yellowish-brown, one-seeded achenes embedded in the red, fleshy receptacle. Although the one-seeded achenes represent separate ripened ovaries, each strawberry is produced from a single white flower.