No, an onion is not a fleshy fruit.
Onions are classified as vegetables, specifically as bulb vegetables. Fruits, botanically speaking, are defined as the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds. A fleshy fruit is characterized by having a significant portion of its pericarp (the wall of the ripened ovary) that is soft and fleshy.
Here's why onions don't fit this definition:
- No Seeds: Onions, in their common edible form, do not contain seeds. While onions can flower and produce seeds if left to bolt (flower), the part we consume is the bulb.
- Bulb Structure: The onion bulb is primarily made up of layers of modified leaves that store food for the plant. This is distinctly different from the fleshy pericarp of a fruit.
- Botanical Classification: Onions are grown for their leaves and bulbs, not their fruit. Therefore, they are botanically and agriculturally classified as vegetables.
In summary, an onion's structure, its lack of seeds in the edible portion, and its botanical classification firmly place it outside the definition of a fleshy fruit.
