How Are Bananas Characterized in Botanical Terminology?

While the common definition of a berry refers to small, seeded, edible fruit, the botanical definition of a berry is any fleshy fruit that is derived from a plant with one ovary and multiple seeds. Therefore, bananas are technically berries -- and so are tomatoes, kiwis, watermelons, and avocados.

Conversely, strawberries are characterized in botanical terminology as "accessory fruits," rather than berries, because they grow from tissue outside of the ovary. Raspberries and blackberries also aren't true berries, botanically speaking - they are classified as "aggregate fruits" because they grow close together from multiple ovaries and form a larger fruit.

More about bananas:

• Bananas are the fourth largest fruit crop in the world, with 65% of all bananas coming from Latin America.
• In Costa Rica, a honey-like substance is made by boiling bananas for several hours until they turn into a thick syrup.
• Bananas are believed to have originated in the 3rd century BC in the Indo-Malaysian region. They didn't make their way to South America until the 1500s, when they were brought there by Portuguese mariners.