The full list of berries should include both botanical and culinary types. Our selection covers them all, from bilberry and crownberry to aggregate and accessory fruits like raspberries and strawberries.
Sky flower
Duranta erecta
Highbush blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Beadplant
Nertera granadensis
Wintergreen
Gaultheria procumbens
Raspberry
Rubus idaeus
Elder
Sambucus nigra
Snowball tree
Viburnum opulus
hawthorn
Crataegus monogyna
black chokeberry
Aronia melanocarpa
American black elderberry
Sambucus canadensis
dog rose
Rosa canina
Virginia strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
black nightshade
Solanum nigrum
wild strawberry
Fragaria vesca
Canadian serviceberry
Amelanchier canadensis
common serviceberry
Amelanchier arborea
Saskatoon serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
American beautyberry
Callicarpa americana
mock strawberry
Potentilla indica
evergreen huckleberry
Vaccinium ovatum
chokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Cornelian cherry
Cornus mas
red chokeberry
Aronia arbutifolia
Allegheny serviceberry
Amelanchier laevis
lowbush blueberry
Vaccinium angustifolium
beach strawberry
Fragaria chiloensis
salal
Gaultheria shallon
black mulberry
Morus nigra
common snowberry
Symphoricarpos albus
Chinese magnolia-vine
Schisandra chinensis
matrimony vine
Lycium barbarum
American pokeweed
Phytolacca americana
sweetberry honeysuckle
Lonicera caerulea
cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon
Common Barberry
Berberis vulgaris
autumn olive
Elaeagnus umbellata
purpleflowering raspberry
Rubus odoratus
purple beautyberry
Callicarpa dichotoma
black huckleberry
Gaylussacia baccata
Cape gooseberry
Physalis peruviana
Sea-buckthorn
Hippophae rhamnoides
partridgeberry
Mitchella repens
Red-berried Elder
Sambucus racemosa
California blackberry
Rubus ursinus
black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
Indian Pokeweed
Phytolacca acinosa
white baneberry
Actaea pachypoda
Black Currant
Ribes nigrum
red mulberry
Morus rubra
rougeplant
Rivina humilis
salmonberry
Rubus spectabilis
golden currant
Ribes aureum
linden arrowwood
Viburnum dilatatum
whitebark raspberry
Rubus leucodermis
whortleberry
Vaccinium myrtillus
wild crapemyrtle
Malpighia glabra
strawberry tomato
Physalis pruinosa
wine raspberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
pin cherry
Prunus pensylvanica
shrubby blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
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Botanically, a berry develops from a single flower and then grows from a single ovary, with the seeds fully embedded in pulpy tissue. That explains why tomatoes, grapes, and bananas all qualify for the category, even though we commonly consider them fruits or vegetables.
In culinary terms, berries are all small, juicy fruits that can be eaten with their skin and seeds. For instance, strawberries and raspberries are, in fact, accessory and aggregate fruits. So even the names of berries that seem to directly indicate their type can be botanically misleading.
There are 3 key types depending on which part of the flower develops into a small fruit.
True berries, such as blueberries, kiwis, and grapes, come from a single ovary.
Aggregate fruits, such as raspberries and blackberries, develop from a cluster of many small fruitlets from separate pistils or carpels.
Accessory species like strawberries and figs develop their edible, fleshy parts from plant tissues outside the ovary.
Plant | Type | Plant Form |
True | Shrub | |
True | Trailing shrub | |
True | Shrub | |
Aggregate fruit | Shrub | |
Aggregate fruit | Vine-like shrub | |
Accessory fruit | Herbaceous perennial |
Many aggregate and accessory species are in the family Rosaceae. By contrast, true berries are spread across many unrelated families.
All berries fall into two groups: edible and ornamental species.
Currants, gooseberries, elderberries, and other edible species are widely grown for their flavor, nutritional value, and vitamin content. Ornamental species are also widely planted for aesthetic value or as privacy screens.
The most common example of ornamentals is English holly. The red berries on this shrub contain saponins that are toxic to humans and most pets. It’s harmless for birds, though, and it looks great in winter, which is why it’s very widely planted.
The time of ripening varies greatly across species. For example, raspberries develop fruits in 30-36 days.
Productive lifespan varies even within one species. For example, different types of blackberry may offer just 1-5 or 40+ productive years. Also, some berry shrubs can be perennial underground and biennial above ground.
Fruiting periods also vary greatly. Strawberries get ripe in June, blueberries — through midsummer, while blackberries start ripening from late July.
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