Test your strawberry anatomy skills, Part 2

Strawberries are not considered true berries by scientists. They are called "pseudocarps", and the part of a strawberry that we eat is actually the "receptacle", the part of the plant that produces the fruit (rather than the fruit itself).

A: PEDICEL or stem.

B: PITH. Spongy tissue in the center; less flavorful. The size of the pith varies by variety.

C: ACHENE. Most people think these are seeds, but actually they are the TRUE FRUIT of the strawberry, similar to a sunflower seed and its shell. A medium-sized strawberry has about 200 achenes.

D: CALYX. Also called the "cap", the calyx is made up of SEPALS which look like small leaves.

E: VASCULAR BUNDLE. This "string" of lighter-colored flesh connects the pith with an achene.

Watch our short video to learn more about strawberry plant anatomy!
https://youtu.be/qL_SpbZvwHA