You’ve come to the right place if wondering whether a cherry is a berry or a fruit keeps you up at night.
But first, a little history. Cherries have been grown for millennia and likely came from the region near the Black Sea. They were heavily utilized by the Greeks and Romans, and they quickly spread throughout Europe and China.
Early colonists brought cherries to America in the 1600s. According to Washington State University, over 650 million pounds of cherries are currently produced commercially in the United States. While sour cherries are used in baked goods, sweet cherries are preferred for fresh consumption. Michigan produces the majority of the sour cherries grown in the United States. Oregon and Washington are the largest producers of sweet cherries.
Cherries look like they might be berries. They resemble strawberries in size, are soft, sweet, and round. In the produce section of your neighborhood grocery store, they are frequently positioned next to strawberries. While we’re at it, how about grapes and cherry tomatoes, both of which are diminutive, sweet, and rounded?
Conversely, cherries may qualify as a fruit because they have a single seed, similar to a peach or a plum. Like peaches and plums, cherries are borne on trees and grow from pink or white flowers that bloom in the early spring.
Berries are classified as a subset of “simple fleshy fruits” in the botanical sense, which means they are a type of fruit. ‘A berry is a fruit with one or more seeds and an entirely fleshy pericarp, according to the definition. This indicates that the fruit is entirely edible and lacks a core. Cherries don’t have a core and are entirely fleshy, but the pit in the middle prevents them from being entirely edible. Therefore it does not meet the definition of berry.
Cherries actually belong to a different category of “simple fleshy fruit” called a “drupe,” which is made up of all fruit with a single seed enclosed in a tough outer shell called a stone. This category includes peaches, nectarines, and plums, as you may have guessed. In response, berries are fruits as well as cherries, but cherries are drupes rather than berries.
Would you believe that grapes, tomatoes, papaya, guava, bananas, and avocados are also botanically classified as berries? Watermelon and cantaloupes are classified as pepos, or berries with a hard skin. Cranberries and blueberries are fruits that are classified as berries. Many fruits that are commonly referred to as berries, like raspberries and blackberries, are actually called “aggregate fruits” because they are made up of numerous small drupes grouped together.
Cherries have long been admired as fruits, drupes, or berries. In the past, cherries were used to make wine, preserves, and baked goods. Cherry tree resin was also employed as a cough medicine and a remedy for kidney stones and gout. Children chewed the resin as a chewing gum, as well. Interestingly, cherry pits are poisonous because they contain trace amounts of cyanide.
Cherries’ vibrant red color is caused by anthocyanins, an antioxidant. According to the Cherry Marketing Association, scientists think these compounds can lessen gout or arthritis pain as well as cholesterol levels and inflammation.
Early to midsummer is cherry season, although most stores sell them all year. Juicy, sweet cherries are a treat anytime.
Did you know that apples, peaches, pears, and plums are all members of the Rose family (Rosaceae) and that this means that roses and apples are related? Almonds, strawberries, and cherries are too. You will see similarities in these herbs’, shrubs’, and trees’ flowers if you pay close attention. The leaves of rose family flowering plants have an oval shape and a cup-like shape with five petals. While couples frequently exchange roses as gifts, students frequently present teachers with apples. Where did this custom originate?Historically, apples have been linked to health. Giving an apple to a teacher is a traditional way to wish them well. Numerous fruits and herbs from the Rose family have health advantages, but does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? While eating berries may improve your memory, having freshly cut flowers around the house may make you feel happier.
Did you know that apples and roses share a common ancestor? The rose family (Rosaceae) includes apples, peaches, pears, and plums. , strawberries, and cherries are too. You will see similarities in these herbs’, shrubs’, and trees’ flowers if you pay close attention. The leaves of rose family flowering plants have an oval shape and a cup-like shape with five petals. Students frequently give their apples as gifts, as opposed to lovers, who frequently exchange roses. Where did this custom originate from? Apples have a history of being associated with health. Giving an apple to a teacher is a traditional way to wish them well. Numerous fruits and herbs from the Rose family have health advantages, but does an apple a day really keep the doctor away? While eating berries may improve your memory, having freshly cut flowers around the house may make you feel happier.
The stone or endocarp, which is what distinguishes a drupe, is made to be nearly impenetrable in order to safeguard the seed inside. The seed sprouts and breaks the stone when it lands in good soil with plenty of sunlight and moisture, creating a new plant. It’s crucial to never consume a lot of stone fruit seeds because they also contain a poison. They contain a substance called amygdalin, which when consumed decomposes into hydrogen cyanide. To become ill, though, you would need to consume a lot of stone fruit seeds.
Though quite small, cherries are actually packed with nutrition. They contain high amounts of fiber, vitamin C, and potassium. They’re also high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds, which can help fight oxidative stress and reduce inflammation. In fact, studies have found that the antioxidants in tart cherry juice and concentrate can accelerate muscle recovery and decrease delayed-onset muscle pain.
Modern-day cherry production began in the mid-1800s. In 1852, a Peter Dougherty, a Presbyterian missionary, planted cherry trees in Michigan. Due to icy winds in the winter and cool breezes off the Great Lakes in the summer, these trees thrived. Additionally thriving were cherry orchards in the northwest region of the country, particularly in western Oregon.
Due to the abundance of heart-healthy nutrients and compounds in cherries, they also support heart health. Cherries can actually lower your body’s uric acid levels, which has been found to help those with gout. Additionally, eating cherries can help improve your sleep quality. Melatonin and other plant compounds found in cherries help control your sleep-wake cycle.
Cherries resemble other fruits that are typically classified as berries, such as strawberries or blueberries, and you may have wondered whether it is a fruit or a berry. Cherries are small and brightly colored. Plus, they taste just as sweet as any other berry. But you might be surprised to learn that they actually share more traits with another subcategory of fruit. Here is all the information you need to know about cherries’ botanical classification.
The strawberry belongs to the Rosacea, or rose family, and is in the genus Fragaria. These plants can be herbaceous, as well as trees or shrubs. Most produce flowers and fruit year after year because they are perennials, but some are annuals and need to be replanted every year. This family includes many well-known plants, making the strawberry plant one of their close relatives. These include every variety of rose, numerous other berry varieties, and some fruit trees like plum and peach.
The rose is the flower most commonly associated with strawberries. All roses, whether wild or cultivated, are the strawberry’s first cousins. Before bearing fruit, strawberry plants produce flowers that resemble wild roses. Numerous other rose-family shrubs produce flowers, leaves, or berries for ornamentation. These include hawthorne, meadowsweet, antelope brush and cinquefoil.
Strawberries are closely related to a variety of delicious berries that are also Rosacea family members. Blackberry, raspberry, boysenberry, and loganberry are a few of the more well-known varieties. The wild strawberry, also known as the “alpine strawberry,” grows in many areas of North America, Europe, and Asia, despite the fact that most people are familiar with strawberry cultivars that are sold in supermarkets. These fruits are quite flavorful despite being much smaller than their cultivated counterparts.
Sarah OLeary has been writing professionally since 2006. Among other publications, her work has appeared in “The Nation,” “The Arcata Eye,” and “ECONEWS.” For 20 years, O’Leary was the proprietor and manager of Moonrise Herbs, a retail establishment that sold products for personal development and medicinal herbs. She graduated from Humboldt State University with Bachelor of Arts degrees in women’s studies and journalism.
The strawberry is a perennial herbaceous plant that shares ancestry with a variety of common tree fruits. Some of them belong to the genus Prunus and include pitted fruits like apricots, cherries, nectarine, plums, and peaches. The strawberry is related to the apple, pear, and quince trees, which are all members of the Rosacea family. Another close relative is the almond tree, and the tasty nuts are actually a fruit.