Fruit Identification

Fruits are divided into two groups, dry and fleshy. Some of our favorite things to eat are fleshy fruits, for example strawberries and cherries. Fleshy fruits are usually juicy and brightly colored, so animals will notice them. One type of fleshy fruit is called a berry. Berries are very fleshy with seeds spread through out the flesh. Some types of berries you might enjoy are grapes and bananas. Most of the members of the Solanaceae produce a berry.

A special type of berry is a pepo. Last year, we studied the Cucurbitaceae. You may remember that most of the cucurbits have pepos as fruits. Most pepos are usually large fruits. Some pepos are zucchini, watermelon, and pumpkin. Some pumpkins weigh over a thousand pounds. So, the pumpkin is the biggest berry! Pepos have a firm, hard, thick, or tough outside. Think about the roughness of a cantaloupe, and the thickness of the rind of a watermelon.

On the next page you can practice identifying berries of the Solanaceae and pepos.