Yes, strawberries are botanically considered a fruit, specifically an "accessory fruit."
While technically fruits, strawberries are a bit unique. Here's why:
- Botanical Definition of a Fruit: In botany, a fruit is the mature ovary of a flowering plant, containing seeds.
- The Strawberry Anomaly: In the case of a strawberry, the fleshy, red part we eat isn't derived from the plant's ovary. Instead, it develops from the receptacle, which is the part of the flower that holds the ovaries.
- The "Seeds" Are the Actual Fruits: Those little "seeds" on the outside of a strawberry are actually individual, tiny fruits called achenes. Each achene contains a seed.
Therefore, while strawberries don't fit the traditional definition of a fruit, they are indeed classified as a type of aggregate accessory fruit.
