A Banana is a Berry Fact

A Banana is a Berry and a Fruit

Botanically a banana is both a fruit and a berry, which grows on large herbs (not trees).

What Makes a Berry a Berry?

“True berries” are simple fruits stemming from one flower with one ovary and typically have several seeds. Bananas meet these criteria, as do tomatoes, pomegranates, and kiwis. Meanwhile things we think of as berries like strawberries aren’t actually berries as they are derived from a single flower with more than one ovary. All berries are fruits and thus a banana is both a berry and a fruit.^[1]

Bananas Grow on Herbs and Are Used as Fruits in the Culinary World

Although technically a berry that grows on an herb, bananas are typically used as fruits (rather than berries) in the culinary world and often parts of the tree are referred to as banana as well. This being said, botanically the non-fruit part of any plant is a vegetable (even when it’s a herb).^[2]

A banana meets the botanical requirements to be a true berry, but in the culinary world it is primarily used as a fruit.

1. “Bananas Are Berries?”. Alumni.stanford.edu. Retrieved Sept 28, 2015.
2. “Frequently Asked Questions“. Vric.ucdavis.edu. Retrieved Sept 29, 2015.