If you thought the white dots on strawberries are seeds, you’re about to have your mind blown.
But many fans of the tasty fruit have come to the surprising realization of what the white specs on the surface actually are – and many are amazed by the truth.
You might have ignored the speckled surface as seeds, but in actuality, the dots scattered across strawberries are achenes, which are the plant’s fruit.
The ‘achene’ refers to the simple dry fruit created by a variety of different flowering species, including buckwheat and even cannabis.
Plants with achenes include dandelions and sunflowers while some have winged achenes, like maple fruits, elm, bush willows and hop trees.
Achenes consist of a single seed, but what makes the strawberry plant special is that it doesn’t use it to reproduce.
Gunter reports while it remains a mystery as to what evolutionary force led strawberries to develop the way they did, he does have some ideas.
“There are a few fundamental reasons why plants have evolved different kinds of fruits. One reason is to attract something that spreads seeds,” he said.
“A second evolutionary approach is for plants to seek ways for their fruit to disperse on their own. For example, they may fly in the wind, like a dandelion, or be moved by the water, like a coconut.”
