The term “citrus fruit” is often used to describe many different types of fruit. So what exactly is a citrus fruit?

And are strawberries considered to be citrus fruit? Read on to find out the answer to these questions and many more.
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Are Strawberries Citrus Fruits?
Strawberries are not considered to be citrus fruits, and they are instead considered to be a member of a completely different fruit family! Here, we will take a look at what type of fruit strawberries are and some of the different families of fruit!
What Family Do Strawberries Belong To?
Since strawberries are not citrus fruits, you might be wondering what family of plants the strawberry belongs to and the answer might surprise you!
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Strawberries are actually members of the Rosaceae family, aka the rose family! The Rosaceae family has about 3,400 members of different plants, trees, herbs, and shrubs in it.
The strawberry is one of the multiple members of the rose family that flowers to produce fruit. In the rose family, strawberries are in a subfamily called Rosoidea.

And strawberries are not the only popular fruit in the rose family! Other berries that are in the rose family include raspberries and blackberries.
Additional fruits from the rose family include apples, peaches, pears, plums, apricots, and cherries!
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While raspberries and blackberries are in the same family as strawberries, you may be noticing that a popular berry is missing from this classification- and that’s blueberries.
So if blueberries are not in the same family as some of the other berries like strawberries, where do they belong? Instead of being members of the Rosaceae family, blueberries are in the Ericaceae family.
The Ericaceae family of plants are native to North America and other fruity members of this family include cranberries and huckleberries.
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What Are Citrus Fruits?
Even though we now know that strawberries are not citrus fruits, you may still wonder what exactly a citrus fruit is.
The term “citrus fruits” is a broad term to describe members of the Rutaceae plant family. Most citrus fruits are native to certain tropical parts of the world, such as Asia and Australia.

The trees in the Rutaceae family are usually pretty large and can reach up to fifty feet tall! Usually, they have evergreen leaves and spiny shoots.
The flowers on these trees are reclusive and have a stronger scent due to the essential oils. Then, these flowers turn into some of the fruits that you love to eat!
Citrus fruits are known for their strong fragrance, and they are excellent sources of vitamin C.
They also have strong amounts of citric acid (hence the name), which gives the fruit their famous sharp and tangy flavor. These fruits also have wonderful health benefits.
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What are some examples of citrus fruits?
Some of the most popular fruits are all members of the citrus family! One of the most popular examples is oranges! The oranges that are commonly eaten across the world are actually a hybrid fruit between mandarins and pomelos.

Different varieties of mandarins, such as clementines, tangerines, and tangelos, are also citrus fruits. Limes, key limes, lemons, and grapefruits are some other examples of citrus fruits.
Some other types of citrus fruits that you might have never heard of include citrons, yuzus, kinnows, and a very uniquely shaped fruit called Buddha’s hand.
Do Strawberries Have Citric Acid?
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Even though strawberries are not citrus fruits, they still contain citric acid! The slightly acidic taste of strawberries comes from citric acid.
Citric acid actually makes up about 88% of the entire acid content in the fruit. Some other acids that are found in strawberries include malic acid and ellagic acid.
As the strawberry ripens, the acidity decreases, and this makes it taste sweeter and less bitter!
So how come strawberries are not citrus fruits? Strawberries are considered to be achene fruit. This means that they are simple, dry fruit.
On the other hand, citrus fruits are known as hesperidium fruits. Strawberries also grow in different parts of the world than citrus fruits.
Strawberries are grown in more northern (colder) latitudes, meaning they do not have the thick rind that all citrus fruits have.