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What are berries, characteristics, types and examples

Did you know that tomato and cucumber are berries? Yes, in fact, there are a wide variety of them in the plant world. Berries, those that we normally associate with the fruits of shrubs and small plants, are a fleshy fruit widely used for its energy value or medicinal properties. For example, you surely know the famous Goji berries and their benefits. Well, these and other berries are the ones that we want to present to you in this short AgroCorrn article about what berries are, their characteristics, types and examples .

Our intention is to encourage you to learn more about them, where the berries grow and what their main characteristics are so that you can distinguish them at a glance and value them as one of the gifts that Mother Nature gives us. Do you dare to know a little more about these fruits?

Index
  1. What are berries
  2. Berry characteristics
  3. Berry types and examples
  4. Other examples of berries

What are berries

The term berry is used to name a fleshy fruit , which has pulp. This protects the seed throughout the maturation stage until it is dispersed thanks to the action of other animals, hence the vast majority of them are edible.

The berry formation process begins when the flower is fertilized. At that same moment the ovary wall begins to create a fleshy pericarp whose function is to protect the seed. As it finishes maturing, the seeds or seeds will be distributed throughout the pulp.

Here you can learn more about the different types of fruits .

Berry characteristics

These are the main characteristics of the berries :

  • The main characteristic of the berries is their coloration and their shiny appearance. They are undoubtedly some of the most striking fruits present in the plant world. The main reason for this aspect is to attract the attention of animals that help to spread them through their feces, since the seeds that are inside are rarely digested.
  • This type of fruit is usually small in size, but depending on the variety they can reach a larger size than other parts of the plant , such as tomatoes and cucumbers , which despite their very different appearance are also among the different varieties of berries
  • Berries are very fleshy fruits with an intense flavor. This is because once the flower is fertilized, a fleshy layer is created around the ovary wall that surrounds the seed and is distributed throughout the pulp of the fruit.
  • The vast majority of them are a source of vitamins and sugars, although recently other medicinal properties have been discovered in different varieties of berries. In other cases, the berries can be highly poisonous and harmful to both humans and other animals.
  • Finally, another of the common characteristics of berries is where they grow. Berries grow on shrubs and plants that need rich soils and a partially shaded place to better retain moisture. They need constant watering so that the fruits grow and stay juicy for as long as possible.

Berry types and examples

There are many varieties of berries , such as the classic berries, the polyberry or multiple berries, the peponids, typical of the cucurbit family, and the modified berries:

  • As classic berries , species such as grapes or tomatoes are known.
  • In the case of polybeys we speak of syncarpals or fruits that fuse, as is the case of custard apple.
  • Clear examples of peponid-type berries we have cucumbers, watermelon , melon or pumpkin , which are characterized by having a thick skin so that the pulp remains juicy for longer. Also within the peponid berries or false berries we find the most recognizable group as such, we talk about strawberries , blackberries, blueberries and currants, those that are also known as wild fruits in more general terms and much better known by everyone.
  • We can also talk about other types of berries, such as the commonly called modified berries . Within them are fruits such as lemon or orange.

Other examples of berries

Next, we offer you a list with several plants with berries so that you are encouraged to grow them or learn more about them. In this selection we have highlighted, above all, the red berries and black berries best known for their appearance and taste so that it is much easier for you to identify them as such:

  • Vaccinium angustifolium or black cranberry
  • Vaccinium macrocarpon or lingonberry
  • Rubus idaeus o frambuesa
  • Fragaria sp o milling
  • Lycium barbarum o baya goji
  • Ribes nigrum or black currant
  • Ribes rubrum or red currant
  • Arbustus unedo o madroño
  • Vitis sp o grapes
  • Berberis microphylla o calafate
  • Prunus cerasus o cereza
  • Endrina o arañón
  • Rosa micrantha the skirmish
  • Every molinae or murtilla
  • Smilax aspera or zarzaparrilla
  • Ribes alpinum o grosella alpina
  • Rubus fruticosus or blackberry
  • Oh delay Morus nigra
  • Sambucus the sack
  • Aristotelia chilensis o maqui

If you want to read more articles similar to What are berries, characteristics, types and examples , we recommend that you enter our Biology category .

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Hello, I am a blogger specialized in environmental, health and scientific dissemination issues in general. The best way to define myself as a blogger is by reading my texts, so I encourage you to do so. Above all, if you are interested in staying up to date and reflecting on these issues, both on a practical and informative level.

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