Berry
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224364957
2008-07-08T15:08:10Z
Kingdon
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{{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]]
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[[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]]
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[[nrm:Chérîthe]]
[[pl:Jagoda (botanika)]]
[[pt:Baga]]
[[ro:Bacă]]
[[ru:Ягода]]
[[simple:Berry]]
[[fi:Marja]]
[[sv:Bär (botanik)]]
[[uk:Ягода]]
[[zh:浆果]]