Berry

berry [ BER-ee ] noun, plural berries: a fleshy, simple fruit without a stone

An August harvest from the Organic Vegetable Garden at Potomac Overlook Regional Park. Photo © Judy Salveson

Can you identify any berries among the edibles to the right? Although nutritionists consider tomatoes, peppers, squash, pumpkins, and eggplants vegetables, botanists categorize them as fruits. And, all of these aforementioned fruits are berries. Other edible berries include avocados, bananas, blueberries, cucumbers, grapes, kiwis, lemons, oranges, pawpaws, persimmons, and watermelon.

A berry is a fleshy fruit that develops from a single ovary of a flower. A berry’s outer layer, the pericarp, develops from the ovary wall and protects the seeds inside. Berries with hard rinds are called pepos (e.g., those in the gourd family, Cucurbitaceae). Berries with leathery rinds and partitioned interior sections are called hesperidia (e.g. those in the citrus family, Rutaceae).

Some EDIBLE Berries

Tropical-tasting berry of native Asimina triloba

Ripe fallen berry of native Diospyros virginiana

Unripe hesperidia of Poncirus trifoliata

Berries of native Vaccinium corymbosum (highbush blueberry)

Left to right: Asimina triloba , Cucurbita moschata, Diospyros virginiana, Poncirus trifoliata, Vaccinium corymbosum.

Some POISONOUS Berries

The berries of Parthenocissus quinquefolia are highly toxic to humans — The berries of *Parthenocissus quinquefolia* (Virginia creeper) are used in a few medicines. However as food, the berries are highly toxic to humans and can be fatal if swallowed. Photo © Elaine Mills

Children sometimes mistake ripened berries of Phytolacca americana (American pokeweed) for grapes, but all parts of this plant are poisonous. — Children sometimes mistake ripened berries of *Phytolacca americana* (American pokeweed) for grapes, but all parts of this plant are poisonous. The National Poison Data System ranked pokeweed second in call frequency for genus-specific human plant exposure in 2018. Photo © Mary Free

The young shoots and rootstock of native Polygonatum biflorum are edible after boiling for a certain time period. However, the berries are poisonous with low toxicity if ingested. — The young shoots and rootstock of native *Polygonatum biflorum* (Solomon’s-seal) are edible after boiling for a certain time period. However, the berries are poisonous with low toxicity if ingested. Photo © Elaine Mills

NOTE: Plants in the wild should not be eaten without consulting an expert or authoritative field guides for information on identification and food preparation. It is easy to confuse plants in the wild, so you should be 100% sure they are edible before consuming them. Remember:

Just because a plant is not identified as toxic does not mean that it is safe to eat.
Sometimes only certain parts of a plant are edible and other parts of the same plant are toxic.
Sometimes parts are only edible at a certain time in their life cycle or when prepared in a certain way.

Podophyllum peltatum (mayapple) fruit in June. — Pulp inside this developing *Podophyllum peltatum* (mayapple) berry is edible only when fully ripe. Even then take care with the amount ingested. All other plant parts, including fruit seeds and skin, are poisonous and should not be eaten. If unfamiliar with this fruit, then consult an authoritative field guide first. Photo © Elaine Mills

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