Strawberries are unique among fruits in bearing their seeds on the outside rather than inside.

Botanically speaking, a strawberry is not a berry at all but an aggregate accessory fruit. A true berry must develop from a single ovary and contain seeds embedded in fleshy tissue. Strawberries, belonging to the genus Fragaria in the family Rosaceae (which also includes roses and apples), have a fundamentally different structure.The yellow specks dotting the strawberry's surface are achenes—small, dry fruits that develop from individual carpels, each containing one seed. A typical strawberry bears approximately 200 achenes, making this external seed arrangement one of nature's most distinctive features. This structure is precisely why botanists classify strawberries as aggregate fruits.The red, succulent flesh is the receptacle tissue—the enlarged stem base that normally holds the flower's reproductive organs. When pollination occurs, this tissue undergoes dramatic expansion, becoming the sweet, fleshy part we consume. This growth is driven by auxin, a plant hormone produced by the developing achenes themselves, creating a coordinated developmental process.The botanical classification of strawberries was systematized during the 18th century as plant science became more rigorous. Modern genetic research, including studies published in journals like Nature Genetics, has sequenced the strawberry genome to elucidate these complex growth mechanisms. This genomic work has revealed how the receptacle expands while achenes remain anchored to the surface, solving a long-standing question about fruit development.