Berry 52948 224364957 2008-07-08T15:08:10Z Kingdon 668610 don't link to disambiguation page {{about|the fruit}} [[Image:true.berries.jpg|400px|thumb|right|Four fruits that are true berries (size not to scale). Clockwise from right:<br />[[Concord grapes]], [[persimmon]], [[gooseberry|red gooseberries]], [[redcurrant|red currants]] (top)]] The word '''berry''' has two meanings: one based on a [[botany|botanical]] definition, the other on common identification. True (botanical) berries are a simple fruit having [[seed]]s and pulp produced from a single [[ovary (plants)|ovary]]. 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== [[Image:Berries (USDA ARS).jpg|250px|thumb|left|Several types of common "berries", none of which is a berry by botanical definition:<br />The blueberry is a [[false berry]], raspberries and blackberries are [[aggregate fruit]], and strawberries are [[accessory fruit]].]] In [[botany]], the berry is the most common type of fleshy [[fruit]] in which the entire [[ovary (plants)|ovary]] wall ripens into an edible [[pericarp]]. The flowers of these plants have a [[ovary (plants)#superior ovary|superior ovary]] and one or more [[carpel]]s within a thin covering and fleshy interiors. The [[seed]]s are embedded in the common flesh of the ovary. Examples of botanical berries include the [[tomato]], [[grape]], [[lychee]], [[loquat]], [[lucuma]], [[plantain]], [[avocado]], [[persimmon]], [[eggplant]], [[guava]], [[uchuva]] (ground cherry), and [[chili pepper]]. ===Modified berries=== The fruit of [[citrus]], such as the [[orange (fruit)|orange]], [[kumquat]] and [[lemon]], is a modified berry called a ''[[hesperidium]]''. The fruit of [[cucumber]]s and their relatives are modified berries called "[[Epigynous berry|pepoes]]". A plant that bears berries is referred to as ''bacciferous''. True berries are distinguishable from [[false berries]] like [[Blueberry|blueberries]] and [[Cranberry|cranberries]] for which the fruit is formed from other parts of the flower, not just the ovary. Also not true berries, [[aggregate fruit]]s like [[Raspberry|raspberries]] are collections of small fruits, and [[accessory fruit]]s like [[Strawberry|strawberries]] are formed from parts of the plant other than the flower. As explained [[#Not a botanical berry|below]], none of these is a true berry. ==Common usage== In common parlance, '''berry''' refers to any small, sweet, juicy and brightly-colored [[fruit]]. By contrasting in color with their background, berries are more attractive to animals that eat them, aiding in the [[biological dispersal|dispersal]] of the plant's seeds. Most berries are edible, but some are [[poisonous]]. Berry colors are due to natural [[pigment]]s synthesized by the plant. Medical research<ref>{{cite paper | author = Gross PM | title = Scientists zero in on health benefits of berry pigments | date = 2007-07-09 | publisher = Natural Products Information Center | url = http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=18944&zoneid=201 | accessdate = 2007-07-31 }}</ref> has uncovered medicinal properties of pigmented [[polyphenols]], such as [[flavonoids]], [[anthocyanins]], and [[tannins]] and other [[phytochemicals]] localized mainly in berry [[skin]]s and [[seeds]]. Berry pigments are usually [[antioxidant]]s and thus have [[oxygen radical absorbance capacity]] ("ORAC") that is high among plant foods.<ref>{{cite paper | author = Wu X, Beecher GR, Holden JM, Haytowitz DB, Gebhardt SE, Prior RL | title = Lipophilic and hydrophilic antioxidant capacities of common foods in the United States | publisher = J Agric Food Chem 2004 Jun 16;52(12):4026-37. | date = 2004-06-16 | url = http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=pubmed&cmd=Retrieve&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=15186133&query_hl=2&itool=pubmed_DocSum | accessdate = 2007-07-31 }}</ref> Together with good nutrient content, ORAC distinguishes several berries within a new category of [[functional foods]] called "[[superfruit]]s", a rapidly-growing multi-billion dollar industry that began in 2005<ref>{{cite paper | author = Gross PM | title = Superfruits take center stage: Defining an emergent category | publisher = Natural Products Information Center | date = 2007-02-26 | url = http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=17826&zoneid=201 | accessdate = 2007-07-31 }}</ref> and is identified by DataMonitor as one of the top 10 food categories for growth in 2008<ref>[http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=81699&m=1FNUN28&c=zondoewvtjilvpr Fresh, super and organic top trends for 2008, ''FoodNavigator.com-USA'', November 2007]</ref>. 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<ref>[http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/articles/tracking-market.html Gross PM. Tracking market meteors: exotic superfruits. ''Natural Products Insider'', November 16, 2007]</ref>. From 2007-8 medical literature discussing berry nutrients and potential health properties, grape, strawberry, cranberry and blueberry are the most favored research topics among berries currently<ref>[http://www.npicenter.com/anm/templates/newsATemp.aspx?articleid=21343&zoneid=201 Gross PM. Berry research breakthroughs: ten trendsetters of 2007-8 Natural Products Information Center, June 2008]</ref>. ===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. * [[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. The [[mulberry]], for example, is essentially like a cluster of grapes, but tiny and compressed into one "berry"[http://books.google.com/books?id=yKUagx8PB_EC&pg=PA66&lpg=PA66&dq=blueberries+%22are+not+true+berries%22&source=web&ots=KZhmN9EUJW&sig=8f_BI1C9J9C0sKB1J-0jOZzAms0]. * Other [[accessory fruit]], where the edible part is not generated by the ovary, such as the [[strawberry]] for which the seed-like [[achene]]s are actually the "fruit" derived from the ovary. {| class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2" colspan="2" | ! colspan=6 | Botanical parlance |- ! True berry ! Pepo ! Hesperidium ! False berry (Epigynous) ! Aggregate fruit ! Multiple fruit ! Other accessory fruit |- ! rowspan=2 | Common parlance ! Berry | [[Blackcurrant]], [[Redcurrant]], [[Gooseberry]] | | | [[Cranberry]], [[Blueberry]] | [[Blackberry]], [[Raspberry]], [[Boysenberry]] | [[Mulberry]] | [[Strawberry]] |- ! Not a berry | [[Tomato]], [[Eggplant]], [[Guava]], [[Lucuma]], [[Chili pepper]], [[Pomegranate]], [[Avocado]], [[Kiwifruit]], [[Grape]] | [[Pumpkin]], [[Gourd]], [[Cucumber]], [[Melon]] | [[Orange (fruit)|Orange]], [[Lemon]], [[Lime (fruit)|Lime]], [[Grapefruit]] | [[Banana]] | [[Hedge apple]] | [[Pineapple]], [[Fig]] | [[Apple]], [[Peach]], [[Cherry]], [[Green bean]], [[Sunflower seed]] |- |} [[Image:Alaska wild berries.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Alaska wild "berries" from the [[Innoko National Wildlife Refuge]].]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==See also== {{commonscat|Berries}} *[[List of fruits]] *[[Epigynous berry]] *[[Accessory fruit]] *[[Aggregate fruit]] *[[Multiple fruit]] ==External links== *[http://www.nccpg.com/Page.Aspx?Page=161 The National Council for the Conservation of Plants and Gardens] - Description of berries *[http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761576964/Fruit.html Encarta.msn.com] - Differentiation between true berries, pepos, and hesperidia *[http://nationalberrycrops.org United States National Berry Crops Initiative] *[http://berryhealth.fst.oregonstate.edu/index.asp Berry Health Benefits Network] - Scientists working on the health properties of berries {{fruits}} [[Category:Berries| ]] [[Category:plant morphology]] [[zh-min-nan:Chiuⁿ-kó]] [[br:Hugenn]] [[ca:Baia]] [[cs:Bobule]] [[da:Bær]] [[de:Beere]] [[el:Μούρο]] [[es:Baya]] [[eo:Bero]] [[fr:Baie (botanique)]] [[io:Bero]] [[it:Bacca]] [[he:פירות יער]] [[pam:Berry]] [[ka:კენკრა]] [[lt:Uoga]] [[nl:Bes (botanisch)]] [[ja:ベリー]] [[no:Bær]] [[nn:Bær]] [[nrm:Chérîthe]] [[pl:Jagoda (botanika)]] [[pt:Baga]] [[ro:Bacă]] [[ru:Ягода]] [[simple:Berry]] [[fi:Marja]] [[sv:Bär (botanik)]] [[uk:Ягода]] [[zh:浆果]]