They look very similar (though probably larger) to mock strawberries (which are not really strawberries either.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potentilla_indica

Incidentally: from a botanical perspective, strawberries are not berries. Nor do they even taste like straw!

I'm not sure it's connected to the origin of the word, but when I saw straw laid down in strawberry fields like this [1] I thought the name comes from that custom. I believe (still, I could be wrong) that the straw is put there to prevent weeds from getting sunlight.

[1] https://i0.wp.com/oaeblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/Ger...

There are multiple theories as to where the name strawberry comes from, but that one is known to be wrong, because the name dates back to before they were cultivated. The one I find most plausible is that it comes from "strewn berry". Similarly, gooseberries never had anything to do with geese, the name is supposed to come from a Dutch or French or German or Japanese word, none of which sound much like gooseberry.

How strange. Growing up in sweden we used to put wild strawberries on straws of grass. It's a simple way to hold multiple berries without some kind of container and without risking crushing them. A quick google search for "smultron på strå" turns up loads of pictures so it seems to be quite a common occurrence. I've never really considered that the word strawberry could have a different origin.

Botanically, practically nothing we call a berry is a berry except blue-. And practically every other fruit is a berry. The word is a wastebasket.

Today I learned that papaya is closely related to cabbage.

> Botanically, practically nothing we call a berry is a berry except blue-.

cran-, elder-, lingon-, among others.

(Also, the fruit of the strawberry tree, unlike either strawberries or mock strawberries.)

Speaking of which, the Raspberry Jam Tree, also called Jam Wattle, of western Australia, does not grow raspberry jam, but smells like it when cut with a saw.

No plant nursery will sell you a Raspberry Jam Tree, but you can buy seeds on Etsy: "Acacia acuminata".

They are interesting also because the leaves (which aren't leaves, but "phyllodes") and bark have a high concentration of interesting tryptamine alkaloids.

There are many other fascinating details about A. acuminata. Millions of fenceposts in Australia more than a century old (and more every year!) are made of its wood.

If they taste like strawberries is all that would matter to me. Then again I'm one of those people that will often mix what's on the plate and don't really care a whit about "presentation" when it comes to food. My gf hates me for that. Growing up poor in the south will often lead to inclinations such as that.

Sadly, they taste nothing like strawberries. They're a little sweet, though, and can be used as a filler if one takes good care to strain out the seeds & skin.

Tomatoes with some added sugar also taste like strawberries.

They're very common in the bay area as street trees. The fruits are decent, but indeed don't look or taste anything like strawberries. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arbutus_unedo

Wow that’s a strawberry tree? I always assumed it was some kind of persimmon judging by the taste and astringency when unripe.

And is a distant cousin of blueberries in fact.

Sorry, I got it wrong. I was thinking of a perennial version of Chenopodium capitatum ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blitum_capitatum ) not Arbutus unedo.