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What are the only three fruits native to North America?

Question #75779. Asked by brainiac62.
Last updated Sep 03 2013.

Related Trivia Topics: North America   Food & Drink  
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Sofie star
Answer has 7 votes
Currently Best Answer
Sofie star
24 year member
343 replies avatar

Answer has 7 votes.

Currently voted the best answer.
North American fruits
It's commonly reported that cranberries, blueberries and Concord grapes are the only indigenous fruits of North American. This seemed far-fetched to me. Apparently it's bogus folklore. Lots of other fruits have North American origins including varieties of strawberries, gooseberries, and other fruits.

link http://www.bobcongdon.net/blog/2004/09/north-american-fruits.html

Fruits of American origin
Some other fruits native to North America that are eaten in a small way:

American grape: North American species (e.g., Vitis labrusca; Vitaceae) and American-European hybrids are grown where grape (Vitis vinifera) is not hardy and are used as rootstocks.
American Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum; Berberidaceae)
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana; Ebenaceae)
Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argenta; Elaeagnaceae), which grows wild in the prairies of Canada
Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco; Chrysobalanaceae)
Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)
False-mastic (Mastichodendron foetidissimum; Sapotaceae)
Ground Plum (Astragalus caryocarpus; Fabaceae), also called Ground-plum milk-vetch
Murta (Ugni molinae Turcz.; Myrtaceae)
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba; Annonaceae, not to be confused with Papaya (Carica papaya; Caricaceae), which is called pawpaw in some English dialects)
Pigeon plum (Coccoloba diversifolia; Polygonaceae)
Salal berry (Gaultheria shallon; Ericaceae)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis; Rosaceae)
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens; Ericaceae)
Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana; Ebenaceae)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus; Rosaceae)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia; Rosaceae)

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fruits#Fruits_of_American_origin

Feb 12 2007, 4:58 PM
skysmom65
Answer has 3 votes
skysmom65
19 year member
1504 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
Some other fruits native to North America that are eaten in a small way:

American grape: North American species (e.g., Vitis labrusca; Vitaceae) and American-European hybrids are grown where grape (Vitis vinifera) is not hardy and are used as rootstocks
American Mayapple (Podophyllum peltatum; Berberidaceae)
American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana; Ebenaceae)
Buffaloberry (Shepherdia argenta; Elaeagnaceae), which grows wild in the prairies of Canada
Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco; Chrysobalanaceae)
Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus)
False-mastic (Mastichodendron foetidissimum; Sapotaceae)
Ground Plum (Astragalus caryocarpus; Fabaceae), also called Ground-plum milk-vetch
Murta (Ugni molinae Turcz.; Myrtaceae)
Pawpaw (Asimina triloba; Annonaceae, not to be confused with Papaya (Carica papaya; Caricaceae), which is called pawpaw in some English dialects)
Pigeon plum (Coccoloba diversifolia; Polygonaceae)
Salal berry (Gaultheria shallon; Ericaceae)
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis; Rosaceae)
Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens; Ericaceae)
Texas persimmon (Diospyros texana; Ebenaceae)
Thimbleberry (Rubus parviflorus; Rosaceae)
Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia; Rosaceae)
link http://www.answers.com/topic/list-of-fruits

Feb 12 2007, 5:47 PM
neferset
Answer has 3 votes
neferset

Answer has 3 votes.
Not even.

link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Berry

Compare the list on the page to the list of native fruit and you discover that there are more than three native edible berries and some (other than cranberries, blueberries and grapes) are in your supermarket. A lot of things you wouldn't think are berries really are berries by the biological definition. I'm still trying to figure out if the Passion fruit is a berry or a false berry, because I have a native one (edible Passiflora incarnata) growing in a pot outside right now. Some of the sites with info on it describe the passion fruit as a berry.

I agree this one is an urban legend, not a real trivia question. There's no way to rewrite it and make it true.

Sep 03 2013, 12:25 PM
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