Q 01/05

Botanically speaking, which of these is a strawberry?

A) A pome, like an apple

B) A true berry, like a grape

C) A drupe, like a cherry

D) An aggregate accessory fruit

Answer · why

D) An aggregate accessory fruit

The red flesh grows from the flower's receptacle, not the ovary, which is why botanists refuse to call it a berry while bananas and tomatoes qualify.

Q 02/05

The tiny 'seeds' dotting the outside of a strawberry are actually what?

A) Miniature unripe berries

B) Achenes, each holding a seed

C) Grains of dried pollen

D) Petals that shrank as it grew

Answer · why

B) Achenes, each holding a seed

Every strawberry is carrying dozens of complete fruits on its skin; the part you eat is technically the packaging.

Q 03/05

Strawberries belong to which group of plants?

A) The rose family

B) The citrus group

C) The gourds

D) The nightshades

Answer · why

A) The rose family

Apples, pears, cherries, raspberries and almonds are all cousins in the same family, Rosaceae.

Q 04/05

The modern garden strawberry was first bred in the 1750s in which region?

A) Tuscany, Italy

B) Andalusia, Spain

C) Brittany, France

D) Kent, England

Answer · why

C) Brittany, France

It came from crossing a Virginia strawberry from North America with a Chilean one, so the world's favourite berry is an accidental French hybrid of tw...

Q 05/05

What was the day job of Amédée-François Frézier, who brought the Chilean strawberry to Europe in 1714?

A) Diplomat

B) Spy

C) Ship's surgeon

D) Missionary

Answer · why

B) Spy

Frézier was sent to survey Spanish fortifications on the Chilean coast, and came home with five strawberry plants as well as his intelligence.