Most Common Types of Berries
There are several definitions of 'berries' or 'berry fruits'. The botanical definition of the berry fruits: berry fruits are flashy fruits produced from a single flower and containing one ovary. Two common examples of 'botanical' berries are grapes and bananas.
Updated: January 16, 2024.
One of the 'true' berries - grapes!
Berries like blueberries, cranberries, strawberries, raspberries etc, are not 'true berries' and are classified botanically as "false berries". This is because their fruits are formed not only from the ovary, but also from other parts of the flower. These berries fall into other classifications like drupes and aggregate fruits.
Drupe or stone fruit is a type of fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp (inner layer of the fruit, directly surrounding the seeds) with a seed (kernel) inside.
Drupelets are small, individual drupes, that compose aggregate fruits. Aggregate fruits are type of fruits that develop from the merger of several ovaries that were separate in a single flower. Examples are blackberries, dewberries, raspberries etc.
Multiple fruits are type of fruits that are formed from a cluster of flowers and each of the flowers produces a fruit, but all of them mature into a single mass. Examples of multiple fruits are breadfruit, figs, mulberries, pineapples etc.
The pome fruits have a structure that entirely separates the seeds from the ovary tissue - examples are apples and pears. Some of the smaller pomes are often referred to as berries, too.
There are many other classifications of the fruits, but for home gardener and people who really enjoys berries, these classifications are not so important after all.
List of the Most Common Types of Berries
Most common types of edible berries are given in the following list:
Açaí Berries
Açaí palm is native to Trinidad and northern South America where it grows mainly in swamps and floodplains. Read more. |
Acerola
It is native to South America, southern Mexico, and Central America and it is often grown in warmer areas. Acerola is extremely rich in vitamin C, but it also contains vitamins A, B1, B2, and B3, as well as carotenoids, bioflavonoids and other antioxidants. Read more. |
Aronia
Chokeberries are often mistakenly called chokecherries. Aronia is commonly found in wet woods and swamps. Berries are consumed fresh, sometimes frozen and often processed as jam, wine, tea etc. Fruits are sour. Aronia is often named after fruit color: Red chokeberry, Black chokeberry and Purple chokeberry. Read more. |
Avocado
An avocado fan, while buying the fruit often from stores, might wonder if they can have their own avocado tree so they can get fresh avocado. The good news is that one can start growing their own avocado tree just by cutting open an avocado and taking out the big brown seed in the center of the fruit, although they’ll have to have a lot of patience as an avocado tree can take as many as minimum five years to produce fruit. One can grow avocado indoors as well as outdoors if they live in one of the warmest parts of the United States. Read more. |
Banana
However, 'Dwarf Cavendish' and 'Super Dwarf Cavendish' cultivars can be found in small greenhouses as a decorative trees that actually bear fruits. Read more. |
Barberries
Barberries are grown for features like ornamental leaves, yellow flowers and red or blue-black edible berries - berries are often very rich in vitamin C, but bitter in taste. Since they are being very dense, viciously spiny shrubs, they make very effective impenetrable barriers and hedges. |
Bayberries
Bayberries are sold fresh, dried, canned, for juice, for alcoholic beverages and even wax. |
Bearberries
The fruit, which is one of the favorite food of bears, are edible and are sometimes gathered for food. Note: Bearberries appear to be relatively safe for human consumption. However, large doses may cause nausea, vomiting, fever, severe back pain, chills etc. It should be avoided during pregnancy, breast feeding, and by children and/or patients with kidney disease or any similar problems... |
Bilberries
Bilberries are group of primarily Eurasian species of low-growing shrubs, bearing edible, nearly black berries. The bilberry is native to Europe, while the blueberry is native to North America. Bilberries produce single or paired berries on the bush instead of clusters like blueberries. Also, blueberries have more evergreen leaves. Bilberries are very hard to grow and have small fruits and are thus seldom cultivated in home gardens. However, they are collected in the wild, where they grow in large numbers and cover large area (for example, ~20% of land area of Sweden is covered with bilberries). |
Blackberries
Thornless varieties have somewhat milder aroma and taste, but they are much easier to pick. Very often, wild blackberries are rerooted in home gardens. Read more. |
Black cherries
Black cherries are similar to chokecherries, especially to very ripe chokecherries. It is moderately long lived tree, with individual trees being 250+ years old. Black cherries begin with fruit production around of age of 10, having its maximum between ages of 30 and 100 years. Hence, it is rarely found in home and small gardens. |
Blackcurrant
Blackcurrant is one of the most popular berries in home and small gardens. pH of the soil should be around 6 and if that is hard to meet, growing them in large containers is also possible. Read more. |
Blueberries
Blueberries like any acidic soil with pH between 4 and 5.2, but they will grow anywhere between pH 3.5 and 6.5. Read more. |
Boysenberries
It has a large (up to, or even more than 8g - 0.28 oz) aggregate fruits, with large seeds and a deep maroon color. Read more. |
Chehalem berries
The Chehalem blackberry is smaller than the loganberry. It has bright skin, a shiny black color and small seeds with the strong flavor. It is consumed fresh, frozen and processed. |
Chokecherries
Chokecherry is also commonly called bitter-berry, Virginia bird cherry, western chokecherry and black chokecherry. It is native to North America. Chokecherries grow as a shrub or small tree - up to 5 m (16 feet) tall. The fruits are about 1 cm in diameter and they range in color from bright red to black. Taste is very astringent, both sour and bitter. The very ripe berries are darker in color, less astringent and sweeter than the red berries. |
Citrus Fruits
They prefer warmer climate, however, when protected from cold winds and freezing temperatures, they can grow even in colder areas. Worst case scenario - grow them in containers and when required, place them in protected area. This way, certain lemon varieties can flower and bear fruits yearlong even in colder regions. |
Cloudberries
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Cranberries
They are consumed fresh, dried and processed in juice, jams and similar. Raw cranberries are a source of various phytochemicals, which are under active research for possible effects on the cardiovascular system, immune system and cancer. Read more. |
Crowberries
Can be consumed fresh or processed. It is sometimes grown as ornamental plant in gardens. |
Dewberries
Dewberries have separate male and female plants. They are small trailing plants, growing new roots along the length of the stem. Fruits are edible fresh, but also processed in different ways. |
Elderberries (Sambucus)
Elderberry flowers are used for making tea, syrup and other beverages, but can be consumed in salads, fried etc. Ripe black elderberries are edible, but often consumed processed in jams, syrups, pies etc. Red elderberries should be consumed processed only. Read more. |
Himalayan or Armenian Blackberry
Edible fruits are dark blue or black when fully ripe. It is easily spread around by birds and other animals - very invasive species. It is easily grown in home and small gardens. |
Goji Berries or Wolfberries
In traditional medicine, the whole goji berry fruit or its extracts have numerous implied health effects, but these statements remain scientifically unconfirmed. However, goji berries are often considered as superfruit. Personally, I don't believe everything (anything?!) that is marketed around as being 'super'. If you have free space in your home garden, give them a try - they are decorative plants that yield fruits that is edible fresh and can be processed in numerous ways. Read more. |
Gooseberries
Gooseberries are easy to grow in small gardens - if you happen to find great tasting gooseberry in nature, be sure to cut a small branch. When home, put cutting in a suitable pot with good wet soil and soon it will grow new roots and new fruits can be expected in year or two. Read more. |
Grapes
Fruits are consumed fresh or processed in juices, wine etc. Grapes come in numerous varieties suitable for many terrains, soils and climates. |
Hackberries
Celtis trees can grow up to 25m tall, sometimes even more. Fruits are small, 5-10mm in diameter, varying in color from species to species and edible in most species. Trees are easy to grow and are often grown in parks in towns and cities. In home and small gardens Celtis provide shade during summer and fallen leaves are great for making compost. |
Huckleberries
Huckleberries are consumed fresh, but they are also often processed into jams, syrups, salad dressings etc. They were often used in traditional medicine, too. |
Indian Plum - Osoberry
The osoberries are dioecious plants - male and female flowers occur on different plants, so when planning them in the garden, make room for more plants, unless there are male plants near by. |
Jostaberry
Almost black berries are smaller than a gooseberry and a bit larger than a blackcurrant. Fruits are edible and often cooked. Like blackcurrants, jostaberry fruits freeze well. When growing in small gardens, keep in mind that the ripe fruits can be kept on the bush in good condition through entire late summer. However, birds like jostaberries and fruits must be protected by nets. Read more. |
Juniper Berries
Junipers vary greatly in plant and fruit size - most fruits are around 1 - 1.3 cm (half inch) in diameter, but there are also much larger fruits (2.5cm, one inch). Mostly, they are very resilient plants, requiring very little care. |
Kiwi Fruit
Kiwis are commercially grown in New Zealand, California, the Mediterranean, and similar areas. Fruits have a slightly acidic, specific taste and aroma and are consumed fresh or processed. Kiwis are available in many varieties, hence have fruits of different sizes that are ripe in the autumn or even in the winter. Read more. |
Kotataberries
Kotata berries are deep black, medium in size. Plants are easily grown - one of the blackberries recommended for home and small gardens. |
Lingonberries and Cowberries
Lingonberries and cowberries are very similar to bearberries and are even called bearberries, beaverberry, foxberry, mountain bilberry etc. Lingonberries and cowberries are very resilient plants, growing by spreading underground stems and forming dense colonies, often covering very large areas. |
Loganberries
Berries of varying maturity grow on a single, thorny plant, extending the crop season - great for small and home gardens. Plants are sturdy, very resistant to frost and various diseases. Well treated loganberry plant can produce 6-8kg of berries over period of two months. After harvest, two year old canes should be cut off. |
Marionberries
Marionberries plants produce only few canes, but those are up to 6m long, with spiny vines and long and strong laterals with numerous berries. Berries are black, medium in size, with strong and complex flavor. Marionberries are consumed fresh, frozen, in pies, jams, ice creams etc. |
Mulberries
The mulberry fruit is 2–5 cm long. Generally, there are white, red and black mulberries with darker varieties having stronger and more aromatic fruits. Mulberries are consumed fresh, right from the tree, but also processed in numerous ways. |
Nannyberries
Nannyberries are small and round, blue-black in color when fully ripe. The fruits have relatively thick skin, they are refreshingly sweet-sour and juicy. |
Olallieberries
Commercially, it is mostly grown in California. In small and home gardens, olallieberries are grown like many other blackberry based berries. They are consumed fresh, frozen or processed. |
Oregon Grapes
They are used for landscaping since Oregon grapes shrub is resistant to summer drought and tolerates poor soils. Fruits are edible fresh and sometimes processed in jellies and jams. |
Pineberries
Although pineberries have flavor that resemblance pineapples and are white in color, they are produced from different strawberry cultivars that growers selected for appearance, taste and fragrance. Therefore, pineberries are strawberries. Pineberries are disease resistant, have relatively smaller fruits and lower crop yield. However, for home and small gardens, it is one of the 'must have' berries :) |
Pink Currant
Like other currants, pink currants are consumed fresh and processed in jams, juices, jellies etc. Read more. |
Pomegranate
Plant is very ornamental, especially when flowering and some people grow them for their flowers and fruits are just a 'byproduct', loaded with vitamin C and other vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Pomegranate is low maintenance plant which often grows in the wild better than in some gardens. Read more. |
Raspberries
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Redcurrant
Redcurrant fruits are bright red, about 8–12 mm in diameter, with 4–10 berries on each raceme. Redcurrant shrubs are relatively low-maintenance plants - they prefer positions of partial to full sun and can grow in most types of garden soil. Read more. |
Rose Hips
Any larger quantities of rose hips are collected in rose gardens and from wild roses. Read more. |
Salmonberries
Salmonberries are edible, but many people consider them to lack behind raspberries and similar berries in taste and aroma. These, however, depend on location and growing conditions. Salmonberries are consumed fresh and processed in various jellies, jams and similar. Salmonberries are low maintenance plants and require almost no care. |
Sea-Buckthorn Berries
They are tolerant of salt in the air and soil, but require full sunlight. The sea-buckthorns typically grow in dry, sandy areas. Common sea-buckthorn is often grown as an decorative plant in parks and gardens. Fruits are usually processed into tea, juice or syrup. |
Strawberries
Strawberry is not a botanical berry, but an aggregate accessory fruit, but actually, who cares :) They are available in the form of many types and varieties, that often require very little care, except regular watering, pruning, picking and checking against diseases and pests, especially birds. Read more. |
Tayberries
Fruits are consumed raw and processed. Tayberries are popular type of berries for small and home gardens - easy to grow and fruits hold firmly on the shrubs. |
Thimbleberries
Fruits are consumed fresh and consumed. Birds like to eat thimbleberries, so protection of some sort is required. Plant is very decorative and it is often grown as such. |
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are available in huge number of varieties that vary in size, color, vegetation period etc. They are commonly grown in small and home gardens and consumed fresh, in various dishes or processed as catchup and similar. Read more. |
Watermelon
They can be easily grown in home and small gardens, but they require space, good and moist soil and often protection from various diseases and pests. However, who doesn't like a slice of cold watermelon during summer heat ... Read more. |
White currant
Like other currants, white currants are low maintenance plants and their fruits are consumed fresh and processed. In small gardens, many people simply mix currants in a single row of plants - blackcurrants, red currants, pink currants, white currants and yellow currants. Read more. |
Yellow Currants
Like other currants, yellow currants are consumed fresh and processed in jams, juices, jellies etc. Read more. |
Obviously, there are many plants considered as 'berries' that can find place in any home or small garden, regardless of position, climate, soil and terrain.
Since many berries grow for years, even decades, before planting them, careful planing is required. Or plant them in large pots and relocate as needed or desired.