Here’s An A-Z List Of Many Fruit Varieties – How Many Have You Tried?

a multitude of different fruits in a collage

By CHRIS LEE / Updated October 9th, 2024
Reviewed By PETER LICKORISH / Meets Our Editorial Guidelines
Contributions From ALAN TITCHMARSH MBE

How many types of fruit can you think of? Fifteen? Twenty? At a push, we bet you’d struggle to think of more than forty.

And does your list include different types of berry, or are you counting berries as one fruit?

Then there are the fruits that most people would identify as vegetables – tomatoes being the prime example, but just one of a handful of sneaky fruits who fit this criterion.

“In my garden, I grow strawberries, raspberries and gooseberries,” shares Journalist & Broadcaster Alan Titchmarsh.

light green gooseberry fruits hanging from the branches of a shrub

“I have grown a range of unusual fruits that are not regularly found in the supermarket,” says Master Horticulturist Peter Lickorish.

“One I grew, Billardiera longiflora, has small, shiny purple fruits, which looked appealing, but had a dense, mealy flesh that was literally hard to swallow. I have had some strong successes with honeyberry, Lonicera caerulea, which has the flavour and appearance of blueberry but doesn’t need acidic soil.

“A fruit is the ovary of a plant, existing to contain seeds. Sometimes other parts, besides the ovary, are included in the “fruit” – as with pineapples – and we call these accessory fruits.

cooking apples with shades of green and red hanging from the branches of a tree

“The main categories of fruits are pomes, berries, drupes and hesperidia. Pomes, including apples, often have denser flesh as they are also accessory fruits – they’re not just formed from the soft ovary.

“Berries usually contain multiple seeds from a single ovary. Drupes have a hard stone, so a single seed, like a cherry. As for hesperidia, they’re segmented fruits, usually of citrus plants.”

An A-Z of fruit

Below you’ll find 73 different fruits with a little information about each.

Apple

Commonplace spherical fruits, usually green or red or some combination of the two.
These will be familiar to pretty much every Brit, whether picked from a tree or a supermarket shelf.

Apricot

Small, yellow-orange fruit usually with succulent sweet flesh, although sometimes dry and sour. Includes an inedible stone.¹

Avocado

A supposed favourite of the hipsters, this savoury fruit is technically a large berry with a single seed inside.
Thought to hail from the Americas.

Aubergine

The first fruit in this list that masquerades as a vegetable, and it definitely tastes best cooked. Technically it’s a big berry!²

Banana

Most bananas are genetically identical members of a specific genus, although other varieties exist including blue and even pink ones!

Berries

Lumping together the common berries is a contentious decision, and we only made it because we’ve also written a comprehensive A-Z of berries.

Blue Bean Fruit

The long blue pods of Decaisnea fargesii split open to reveal a pale, melon-like flesh and a row of sparkling black seeds.
It can be eaten raw or the high pectin content makes it good for jams and jellies.

Butternut squash

This pumpkin variant boasts a sweet nuttiness that lends itself best to savoury dishes, hence why butternuts live in the vegetable aisle.

Cherries

Prunus avium and P. cerasus are the two varieties you’ve probably tried, but there are tons of types of cherry. Small, red, and delicious.

Chupa-chupa

Quararibea cordata aka chupa-chupa is a yellow-orange seeded fruit with soft, sweet, juicy flesh. Looks a little like a fig.

Crab apple

A small variety of apple commonly seen in the UK, less familiar in food but still edible. Avoid the seeds and for best results cook first.³
They make fantastic jelly.

Clementine

This citrus fruit, technically a tangor, is a hybrid between an orange and a mandarin variety, named after the man who discovered it.⁴

Cucumber

Long and green, and another resident of the veggie aisle that’s actually a fruit. Hails originally from South Asia but now loved worldwide.

Courgette

This cucurbit is related to the cucumber, as you probably guessed, but also squashes and melons!
Mature courgettes can be called marrows but technically they’re separate fruits.

Custard apple

Annona squamosa fruit AKA custard apple, sugar-apple or sweet-sop is a sweet and creamy tropical fruit with lots of segments.

Damsons

Damsons are a variant of plum widely loved by foragers in the UK: they’re often too sour to eat raw but go a treat in jams, jellies and other home creations.

Durian

A tropical fruit notorious for its pungent aroma, to the degree that it’s banned from many hotels in Asia.

Dates

Popular in Northern Africa and the Middle East, these dried fruits have a strong sweetness.

Dragon fruit

This vibrant-looking fruit is pink and fire-shaped with green tips – very exciting.
Its subtle flesh with plenty of seeds goes great in a fruit salad.

Eggfruit

Pouteria campechiana is a South American tree whose fruit looks nothing like an egg.⁵
They’re sweet with a flavour echoing mango, sweet potato and various other fruits.

Entawak

Artocarpus anisophyllus is a very spiky, orangey red fruit.
Inside you’ll find loads of seeds which are edible, and very tasty if roasted and tossed with salt.

Fig

This tree and its fruit are related to mulberries, and has been popular since ancient times (hence old sculptures using fig leaves to cover themselves in cartoons).⁶
Sweet and delicious.

Finger lime

Also known as the caviar lime because of the myriad small segments you’ll find inside, this citrus fruit is long, thin, and very unusual.
“These segments squash in the mouth to give bursts of sharp flavour,” adds Peter.

finger slime split open — Fingers and caviar, what a treat

Grapefruit

The marmite of the fruit world, grapefruit is a big, bitter citrus that some people love enough to eat every day, while others spurn it for life.

Grapes

Green and black clusters of grapes are a common sight in UK supermarkets but this fruit comes in a spectrum of colours.
Hugely popular worldwide in fruit form or, more so, in wine form.

Guava

This tropical fruit has a slightly floral flavour that makes it a popular treat in the regions it grows.
You can find it in the UK but it’s less common than some other tropical fruits.

Imbe

Garcinia livingstonei is a fruit hailing from the southern regions of the African continent.
The small orange fruits have peachy coloured flesh renowned for being very sour.

Jackfruit

This fruit is related to mulberries and figs but looks nothing like them. Instead, it’s a giant knobbly fruit filled with juicy, sweet flesh.

Java apple

Syzygium samarangense, aka java apple, hails from Asia.
The small red pear-shaped fruit with its white flesh can be sweet or sour, and is a little watery.

Jambolan

Syzygium cumini aka Java plum or jambolan is a tree which has small, purple fruits.
Reputed to have a tart and sour flavour profile.

Jeruk limo

This small citrus resembles a common lime thanks to its inner segments, and is a popular way to bring aroma to dishes.

Kiwi

The furry skin puts a lot of people off, but kiwis’ tangy sweetness rewards the effort.
And guess what? You can eat the whole fruit with no ill effects, if you’re brave enough.⁷

Kaffir lime

Citrus hystrix is often confused with jeruk limo, although it’s a different fruit.
The fruit and leaves are great for bringing citrus aroma to dishes.

Kumquat

These small citrus fruits are interesting in that you can eat the skin as well as the fruit for a very intense, punchy citrus burst.⁸

Lemon

Probably one of the most common citrus fruit thanks to its captivating and versatile flavour.
Lemon works well in pretty much any style of cooking, from savoury to sweet, and even garnishing drinks.

Lime

A common citrus fruit you’ll find here in the UK: smaller and greener than lemons, and with their own subtle flavour.

Lychee

Small and covered in a thick red-pink skin, lychees are the quintessential exotic fruit.
The white flesh is sweet and floral, making it delicious raw or incorporated into deserts. The seed and skin are inedible.

Loquat

This Chinese fruit is often grown ornamentally, but historically its leaves were sought after for tea.⁹
Fruits are small yellow pomes. Pomes are the same category of fruit as apples and pears.

Mango

Rich orange flesh wrapped in green-red skin, a ripe mango truly has a flavour to savour. Perhaps the most recognisable ‘tropical’ fruit.

Mandarin

This small citrus is considered a distinct species from the regular orange.
Usually they’re smaller, sweeter, and far less acidic than their larger citrus cousins.

Mangosteen

Thick purple skin surrounds white, segmented flesh.
This plant is hard to grow making the fruit fairly expensive, and not very commonplace as a result.¹⁰

Melon

There are many types of melon, all of which are, technically speaking, a type of berry called “pepos”.
You’re probably more familiar with names like honeydew, cantaloupe, watermelon and others though.

Nectarine

These smooth-skinned fruits have flesh that’s either rock hard, or delightfully soft and juicy depending on the ripeness.
The stone inside is inedible, so don’t try!¹¹

Nyssa ogeche

Another exotic tree also known as the white tupelo, river lime, or sour gum.
The small, purple coloured fruit makes a good substitute for lime.

Nashi pear

Pyrus pyrifolia, aka Asian pear, Japanese pear, Chinese pear, or various other names depending on (presumably) the country where you found it.
They have the crispness and shape of an apple, but are very much pears.

orange asian pears hanging from a tree — A relative of the pear that looks more like an apple

Olive

Although they’re firm savoury favourites, olives are fruits most closely related to cherries, peaches, and other stone fruits in the drupe family.
Do you prefer green or black though – that’s the question.

Orange

Oranges are the mother of all citrus fruits, and for good reason. They’re big, they’re juicy, and they’re delicious.
Peeling off all the pith also keeps your hands busy for a while.

Papaya

Also known as the pawpaw, favourite of Baloo the bear from Jungle Book, this fruit is sweet and vibrant, and much loved around the world.

Persimmon

Disospyros kaki, or Oriental persimmon, is a vibrant orange fruit with shiny skin and a tuft of foliage at the top.
Flavour-wise you can expect a sweetness akin to honey, in a fruit the size and shape of a salad tomato.

Prickly pear

This cactus species is unusual in that humans eat the sweet fruit which looks, perhaps unsurprisingly, a little like a prickly pear might (if it were pink).

Peach

Like a slightly furrier nectarine, peaches are a mainstay of British fruit aisles thanks to their sweet and slightly tangy flesh. Lovely when perfectly ripened.

Pomegranate

If you like working hard to enjoy your fruit, here’s one for you.
Pomegranates contain hundreds of tiny segments, each bursting with juice but each requiring manual excavation with a spoon or, if you’re feeling messy, a finger.

Pineapple

Tangy and delicious, and famous for the fact that pineapple digests you while you eat it (thanks to the enzyme bromelain it contains).¹²
We bet you didn’t know that pineapple grows in the ground, not on trees?

Passion fruit

Perhaps one of the prettiest fruits, this purple shell with its white pith and orange centre has a unique and completely delicious tropical flavour.

Pluot

Mix plums and apricots and what do you get? Pluots.
There are over 20 varieties, each with their own subtly different colour and flavour.

Pear

A British favourite, pears are delicious eaten raw (if sometimes a little powdery..?), but also goes a treat in crumbles, jams, chutneys, and if you’re feeling exotic, the alcoholic drink known as perry.¹³

Pepper

Peppers and chillies are fruits as well, who’d have known?
Both most commonly come in green, yellow, and red, but you can also find orange, purple, and even black varieties!

Pumpkin

A member of the squash family that has become most famous for being hacked apart by children and adults alike each year at Halloween
It’s quite a strange fate for a fruit, when you think about it.

Pomelo

This enormous citrus fruit sits above the grapefruit in the citrus evolutionary tree, and tastes fairly similar too.¹⁴
Most people are surprised at just how big pomelos are!

Quince

This bright gold fruit looks like a pear, but is far more sour.
To the point that not many people advocate eating it raw, preferring instead to use it in jams and similar.¹⁵

Rambutan

These intriguing little fruits are covered in spiky pink tendrils, and have been described as having a taste something similar to grapes, perhaps with a more sour floral flavour in the mix.

Raisins

Dry a grape for long enough and you’re left with a raisin.
While it’s not technically its own fruit, raisins are popular all over the world so we thought it’d be rude to leave them out.

Rose hips

Rose hips can be eaten raw, but you need to avoid the hairs inside the fruit if so. Most people agree they’re better off in jams, syrups, or even tea.¹⁶

Star fruit

Nature is an incredible thing, and the starfruit is a beautiful demonstration of the wonder it’s capable of. Slices of the fruit have a beautiful star shape.
In terms of taste, the mild sour flavour isn’t that distinctive, but is still well regarded.

Tomato

Tomatoes are the classic “aha!” vegetable, in that people delight in telling you they’re actually fruits.
Next time you encounter someone like this, you can recount all the other various ‘vegetables’ that are actually fruits, and send them packing.

Tangerine

Tangerine is a type of orange that is sometimes treated as its own species, so depending on which side of that debate you align with, you may not consider it worthy of its own addition in this list.

Tamarind

This pungent, aromatic fruit is widely used for food flavourings. It is similar in structure to a bean pod.
If you get a chance you can also try it dried: a delicious if incredibly sour snack.

Tamarillo

The small, egg-shaped fruits of the tamarillo plants are primarily tangy with occasional sweetness depending how ripe they are. The flavour is known for being very bold.
They’re similar in shape, structure and genetics to a tomato.

Ugli fruit

This unflatteringly named plant is a big citrus fruit that arose as a natural hybrid of oranges and grapefruits. It’s also known, perhaps more fairly, as a tangelo.

Voavanga

Vangueria madagascariensis has many names, but voavanga is perhaps the most common.
This fruit is orange, ovular and tastes a little like an apple. It’s not achieved as much global renown as some other exotic fruits, however.

Ximenia caffra fruit

AKA the sourplum, the fruit of this tree is small and orange or red in colour. It’s very sour, hence the name.

Yangmei

Myrica rubra is another fruit with several names, many of which allude to its flavour: something similar to raspberry or strawberry, with a slightly more herbal undercurrent. It has a raspberry like shape, colour and size.
The flavour varies depending on the level of ripeness.

Zig zag vine fruit

The final fruit in our list is a small orange contender that hails from Malesia and parts of Australia.¹⁷
Its sherbety flavour makes it a popular treat, and it’s also used to create tangy sauces. It has cylindrical, eye-catching orange fruits.

That’s one heck of a fruit salad!

There you have it: 72 of Earth’s numerous fruits.

While there are undoubtedly more fruits than those in our list, the selection above is an expansive cross-section of the most popular in various regions around the world.

References

1
Apricot kernels and apple and pear seeds are unsafe to eat. (2021, August 11). Ministry for Primary Industries. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.mpi.govt.nz/food-safety-home/safe-eat/apricot-and-peach-kernels-and-apple-and-pear-seeds-are-unsafe-to-eat/
2
Abadi, M. (2018, June 24). 14 vegetables that are actually fruits. Business Insider. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.businessinsider.com/fruits-and-vegetables-difference-2018-6?r=US&IR=T#eggplant-7
3
WebMD Editorial Contributors. (2021, May 10). Can You Eat Crab Apples? WebMD. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.webmd.com/diet/can-you-eat-crab-apples#1
4
Gilad, E. (2013, November 21). Klementina: The fruit named for a French missionary in Algeria. Haaretz.com. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.haaretz.com/2013-11-21/ty-article/.premium/word-of-the-day-klementina/0000017f-da73-d432-a77f-df7b191c0000
5
Baehni, K. (n.d.). Pouteria campechiana. Plants for a Future. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Pouteria+campechiana
6
Gotthardt, A. (2018, April 5). Why Fig Leaves Cover the Private Parts of Classical Sculptures. Artsy. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-fig-leaf-story-sin-censorship-catholic-church
7
Julson, E. (2018, April 11). Can You Eat Kiwi Skin? Healthline. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/eating-kiwi-skin
8
McCulloch, M. (2018, July 2). What Are Kumquats Good for and How Do You Eat Them? Healthline. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/kumquat
9
Liu, Y., Zhang, W., Xu, C., & Li, X. (2016). Biological Activities of Extracts from Loquat (Eriobotrya japonica Lindl.): A Review. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 17(12), 1983. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms17121983
10
Peng, J. (2022, September 29). The Real Reason Mangosteen Is So Expensive. Tasting Table. Retrieved June 5, 2023, from https://www.tastingtable.com/1032433/the-real-reason-mangosteen-is-so-expensive/
11
Fruit Pits. (2022, January 24). Missouri Poison Center. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://missouripoisoncenter.org/is-this-a-poison/fruit-pits/
12
Science Meets Food. (2019, November 26). Bromelain in Pineapple or Why Pineapples Sting Our Tongue. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://sciencemeetsfood.org/bromelain-in-pineapple/
13
Beckett, F. (2020, November 6). ’Tis the season to drink perry. The Guardian. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/nov/06/perry-pear-cider-round-up-fiona-beckett-drinks
14
Wu, G. A., Terol, J., Ibanez, V., López-García, A., Pérez-Román, E., Borredá, C., Domingo, C., Tadeo, F. R., Carbonell-Caballero, J., Alonso, R., Curk, F., Du, D., Ollitrault, P., Roose, M. L., Dopazo, J., Gmitter, F. G., Rokhsar, D. S., & Talon, M. (2018). Genomics of the origin and evolution of Citrus. Nature, 554(7692), 311–316. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature25447
15
McCandlish, L. (2009, November 11). Demystifying The Quince. NPR. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.npr.org/2009/11/11/120288799/demystifying-the-quince?t=1639934900188
16
Harford, R. (2022, August 17). Everything You Need to Know About Rosehips. Eat Weeds. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/rosehip-faq
17
Melodorum leichhardtii. (n.d.). Useful Tropical Plants. Retrieved March 16, 2023, from https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Melodorum+leichhardtii