Berries. True or False

These are the beginnings of Pomegranates. In about a month or so they should be ready to pick and eat. So, here is some information that will blow your little noodle, botanically speaking, Pomegranates are a type of berry, and yet strawberries are not botanically a berry. I say botanically, as there is a different definition for a berry when you are speaking culinarily.

The simple definition of a botanical berry is a fleshy fruit that is formed from a single ovary. So a beautiful example of this would be grapes and tomatos. Please dont confuse them with pomes (seeds are separated from the ovary buy the core, such as apples, pears, etc) and drupes (seed is separated from the ovary by a hard stoney layer, such as cherries, peaches, etc). There are alot of subcategories for berries, so I will just stick with the very true definition, which means that it must be made from a superior ovary (The petals are at the base of the ovary, not near the top) and no thick skin or rind.

Culinarily speaking, a berry is simply a small, sweet, juicy fruit. So you have your typical blueberries, strawberries, mulberries, etc, etc.

So to break down what everything thinks is a berry into botanic speak:
Strawberry: Not Berry. The pink fleshy part is actually the receptacle, so this makes it something called an accessory fruit.
Blueberry: Berry, although not a true berry (at the risk of sounding cliche, it is also known as a false berry) as it is formed by an inferior ovary (the petals are located at the top of the ovary). This would also make Pomegranites a type of False Berry.
Mulberry: Not Berry. It is technically a multiple fruit, as in it is formed by many tiny flowers growing in a cluster.
Raspberry: Not Berry. The fruit is formed by merging several different ovaries into a single fruit. A true berry only contains one ovary.

Ive found this a fascinating subject to research and expand my knowledge on. I have also discovered that, the more you research it, the more complicated it becomes. If I have made things worse for you, give me a shout and I shall try to clear up some of the confusion :)