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.)