Wild strawberries are deliciously sweet snacks, as long as you don’t mind their gritty little seeds. But why are these “seeds” on the outside, given that the seeds of many fruits — like apples, oranges, kiwis and mangos — are on the inside?
It’s actually a trick question, said Aaron Liston, professor and herbarium director in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology at Oregon State University. That’s because what appear to be a strawberry’s “seeds” are actually its fruit, he said.
Those little yellow or brown ovals on the outside of strawberries are called achenes. And, just like most fruits, each achene has a seed inside it.
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