+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| ## mountain strawberry {#mountain-strawberry .Title-Header}           |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| *Fragaria virginiana* Duchesne                                        |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Plant Symbol = FRVI                                                   |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------+

Contributed By: USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center

# Alternate Names

Wild strawberry, Virginia strawberry

**Uses**

*Ethnobotanic*: Indigenous peoples throughout parts of Canada picked and
ate the savory fruit of this plant. Midwestern prairie and Great Lakes
tribes, such as the Omaha, Hidatsa, Mandan, Dakota, Pawnee, Blackfoot,
Cheyenne, and the Winnebago ate these strawberries raw, cooked or dried.
The Winnebago and Blackfoot made a tea with an infusion of the young
leaves of this plant.

*Wildlife*: The Portola woodrat and the valley quail eat the fruit and
leaves of wild strawberries.

# Status

Please consult the PLANTS Web site and your State Department of Natural
Resources for this plant's current status, such as, state noxious status
and wetland indicator values.

# Description

*General*: Rose Family (Rosaceae). This herbaceous perennial plant
spreads by seed and also by short rhizomes and leafless stolons. The
toothed leaves are thin and basal with a petiole generally 1-12 cm. They
appear in leaflets of 3 and are generally glabrous above. The flowers
have 5 white petals that are 4-9 mm. with numerous pistils and 20-35
stamens. The five bractlets are unlobed. The red fleshy fruit is covered
with achenes.

# Distribution

For current distribution, please consult the Plant Profile page for this
species on the PLANTS Web site. This plant is found between 1200 and
3300 m in meadows and forest openings. It occurs in the Klamath Ranges,
high Cascade Range, Modoc Plateau, Sierra Nevada, to eastern North
America.![](media/image2.png){width="2.125in"
height="1.9791666666666667in"}

# Establishment

This strawberry is best established at higher elevations where a good
frost occurs (over 600 m). Dig up plantlets or runners and plant them in
pots in fall\--being sure to cover the stems and roots in soil. Place
the pots in a sheltered place to establish good, strong roots. Water the
plants or runners and keep them moist. Plant the seedlings outdoors in
the ground in late winter or early spring. They should be planted in
full sun, in a light loose soil, about ten inches apart. It will not
take long for the plants to make a complete ground cover. Lightly
fertilize the plants during the growing season. Note that those plants
that have bigger flowers usually have less fruit and those with smaller
flowers have more fruit. Protect the plants from gophers, deer,
squirrels, raccoons, and other wildlife.

# Management 

Keep the runners pruned back because they can be invasive. It is
necessary to divide the patch every 3 to 4 years and start a new patch
for increased vigor. Younger plants are more vigorous and produce more
berries.

# Cultivars, Improved and Selected Materials (and area of origin)

FRVI is somewhat available through native plant nurseries within its
range. Contact your local Natural Resources Conservation Service
(formerly Soil Conservation Service) office for more information. Look
in the phone book under "United States Government." The Natural
Resources Conservation Service will be listed under the subheading
"Department of Agriculture."

# References

Ertter, B. 1993. *Fragaria*. Page 952 IN: The Jepson Manual: Higher
Plants of California. J.C. Hickman (ed.). University of California
Press, Berkeley, California.

Gilmore, M.R. 1977. *Uses of plants by the Indians of the Missouri River
region*. University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska.

Kindscher, K. 1987. *Edible wild plants of the prairie: An
ethnobotanical guide*.

Kuhnlein, H.V. & N.J. Turner 1991. *Traditional plant foods of Canadian
indigenous peoples: Nutrition, botany, and use*. Gordon and Breach
Science Publishers, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, & A.L. Nelson. 1951*. American wildlife and
plants: A guide to wildlife food habits*. Dover Publications, Inc., New
York, New York.

USDA, NRCS 1999. *The PLANTS database*. National Plant Data Center,
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. \<http://plants.usda.gov\>. Version: 990412.

# Prepared By & Species Coordinators

*M. Kat Anderson*

USDA, NRCS, National Plant Data Center

c/o Plant Science Department, University of California, Davis,
California

*Wayne Roderick*

Former Director of the East Bay Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley,
California

Edited: 05dec00 jsp; 19may03 ahv; 07jun06 jsp

For more information about this and other plants, please contact your
local NRCS field office or Conservation District, and visit the PLANTS
Web site\<[http://plants.usda.gov](http://plants.usda.gov/)\> or the
Plant Materials Program Web site
\<[http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov](http://Plant-Materials.nrcs.usda.gov/)\>

*The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in
all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national
origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual
orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases
apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require
alternative means for communication of program information (Braille,
large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA\'s [TARGET
Center](http://www.usda.gov/oo/target.htm) at 202-720-2600 (voice and
TDD).*

*To file a complaint of discrimination write USDA, Director, Office of
Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence
Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call 202-720-5964 (voice or
TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.*

*Read about [Civil Rights at the Natural Resources Convervation
Service](http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/about/civilrights/).*