What are berries and different types of berries? This is not your average list of berries that you might have expected to see. When you hear the word berry, it’s easy to label anything that grows on a tree or bush as exactly just that. In reality, berries all have exact botanical variants of what is considered a true berry. Here is everything you need to know about berries.
What Are Berries?
Believe it or not, in terms of a botanical definition and classification, a true berry will always include these characteristics. A berry is any kind of fruit that forms from the ovary of a single flower. It also has a single seed or multiple seeds found within the berry itself. This may sound simple enough to understand until you hear what kinds of fruits are also classified as berries.
Avocados, bananas, pumpkins, kiwis, tomatoes, and watermelon all classify as a true berry even if they don’t fit into the image of what we consider to be a berry. The kinds of fruits that we have all come to know as typical berries are actually variants that don’t meet the botanical description at all. These fruits typically include Epignyous and Compound fruits.
These two types of fruits may include seeds growing on the outside of the fruit like strawberries, or contain multiple fruit seeds such as blackberries and raspberries. Then again, some fruits are called Drupes, which have a large pit within the fruit itself. These can be mistaken for smaller fruits such as Hackberries, Barbados and West Indian cherries, and Goji berries.
Types of Berries
If you’re looking for real true berries, these are the most common varieties that you’ll already know.
True Berries
- Grapes (Can include red or green grapes that are grown globally)
- Currant (Red and black currant that is similar to gooseberries)
- Oregon Grape (Often used by Chinese medicine that is also called a Holly Grape)
- Nannyberry (Mainly used for fruit purees and for medicinal tea for muscle cramps)
- Gooseberry (Paired with elderberry to make a naturally refreshing drink)
- Black currant (Has the highest anti-oxidant values and is used for sweet and savory dishes)
- Red currant (Best used for sauces and jellies but great for garnishes on desserts)
- Wild rose/rose hip berries (perfect for natural tea flavor and digestive problems)
Epignyous Fruit Berries
- Bearberry (Just like cranberry, good for digestive problems and cramps)
- Blueberry (The go-to berry for desserts)
- Cranberry (great when juiced or used in recipes)
- Crowberry (Good for pies, wines, and jams)
- Cowberry/foxberry (Used as an ancient medicine like cranberry and lingonberry)
- Huckleberry (Similar to blueberries, these are great for making pies and jellies)
- Juniper berry (Used in spices and rubs meant for cooking and seasoning)
- Lingonberry (These tiny red berries are great as a superfood)
- Red/black/purple chokeberry (Eastern European native berry used for cooking)
- Mountain cranberry (A Scandinavian berry that is used for medical purposes)
Compound Fruit Berries
- Bayberry (Used for making scents and medicinal uses)
- Boysenberry (Desserts and pies)
- Blackberry (Desserts and pies)
- Chehalem berry (Similar to Ollalieberry)
- Cloudberry (Good for preserves and tarts)
- Dewberry (Used for drinks, sweets, and jams)
- Juneberry (Often put in desserts and eaten like raisins)
- Loganberry (Perfect for jams and jellies)
- Marionberry (Sweet and sour sauces and marinades)
- Mulberry (Jams, Jellies, and sweet treats)
- Ollalieberry (Jams, jellies, and especially wines)
- Salmonberry (Used to flavor beer and wine)
- Saskatoon berries (Canadian berries used for baking and flavoring)
- Shadberry (Best for pies and making pemmican)
- Serviceberry (Best in baked goods, desserts, and flavoring ice cream)
- Strawberry (An all-round fruit favorite)
- Tayberry (Sweeter than raspberries and used for nearly anything)
- Thimbleberry (Perfect for making tea and also in soap making)
- Wineberry (An Asian berry that is best for pies and preserves)
- Youngberry (Similar to loganberry and used for desserts and flavorings)
List of Berries
- Grapes
- Currant
- Oregon Grape
- Nannyberry
- Gooseberry
- Black currant
- Red currant
- Wild rose/rose hip berries
- Bearberry
- Blueberry
- Cranberry
- Crowberry
- Cowberry/foxberry
- Huckleberry
- Juniper berry
- Lingonberry
- Red/black/purple chokeberry
- Mountain cranberry
- Bayberry
- Boysenberry
- Blackberry
- Chehalem berry
- Cloudberry
- Dewberry
- Juneberry
- Loganberry
- Marionberry
- Mulberry
- Ollalieberry
- Salmonberry
- Saskatoon berries
- Shadberry
- Serviceberry
- Strawberry
- Tayberry
- Thimbleberry
- Wineberry
- Youngberry
Frequently Asked Questions Related to Berries
Are bananas berries?
Yes, bananas are technically considered berries from a botanical perspective.
Is an avocado a berry?
Yes, avocados are also considered berries from a botanical perspective.
Is a pumpkin a fruit?
Yes, pumpkins are considered fruits, in terms of a botanical definition and classification. Specifically, they are a type of berry known as a pepo.
Are tomatoes berries?
Yes, from a botanical perspective, a tomato is a type of fruit known as a berry.
Types of Berries | Image
