Fruits, Vegetables, Grains: What's What?

In botany (the science of plant life), a fruit emerges from the seed-bearing part of the flowering plant. In that sense, it includes “fruit” that we normally don’t associate with the term, as we commonly refer to them:

Fruit (sweet, or not-so-sweet tasting fleshy produce of plants), examples of which include:

• Apple, peach, apricot, nectarine (“Stone” fruits)
• Banana
• Orange, lemon, lime (“Citrus” fruits)
• Strawberry, raspberry boysenberry (“Berries”)
• Grapes
• Pumpkin*, cucumber*, watermelon (“Melons”)
• Pineapple
• Pomegranate
• Tomato*

*  Some fruits are considered both a fruit and a vegetable

Vegetables (the mild, or savory part of a plant), examples of which include:

• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Broccoli, cauliflower, lettuces (“Cruciferous”)
• Carrot, potato, turnip, yam (“Tubers” or “Root Vegetables”)
• Celery
• Corn
• Onion
• Peppers
• Zucchini, eggplant

Grains (small, dry hard seed harvested for human or animal consumption), which are further classified as either legumes or cereal grains, examples of which include:

 Legumes

Beans, lentils, peas, peanuts (“Grain Legumes” cultivated for their seeds) Alfalfa, clover, hay (“Forage Legumes” cultivated for livestock consumption)

Cereal Grains

Barley
Oats
Rice
Wheat

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