Fragaria. | Henriette's Herbal Homepage Henriette's Herbal Homepage Welcome to the bark side. Search form Fragaria virginiana Duchesne. Scarlet Strawberry. Virginia Strawberry. Fragaria. Rosaceae. Strawberry. The Latin word for the strawberry, Fraga, has given name to the botanical genus Fragaria, which includes our edible species. Ruellius, 1536, says the French word fresas was applied to the fruit on account of the excellent sweetness of its odor, odore suavissimum, and taste; in 1554, this was spelled frayses by Amatus Lusitanicus, but the modern word fraise appeared in the form fraises, in Fuchsius, 1542, and Estienne, 1545. The Italian fraghe and fragole, as used by Matthiolus, 1571, and fragola as used by Zvingerus, 1696, and the modern Italians, appear to have come directly from the Latin; while the Spanish fresa and fresera must have had the same immediate origin as the French.

Some of the ancient commentators and botanists seem to have derived the Latin name from fragrans, sweet-smelling, for Turner in his Libellus, 1538, says "fragum non fragrum (ut quidam scioli scribunt)," and Amatus Lusitanicus, 1554, writes fragra. The latter quotes Servius, a grammarian of the fifteenth century, as calling the fruit terrestria mora,— earth mulberry,—(or, following Dorstenius who wrote in 1540, "fructus terrae et mora terrestria)," whence the Spanish and Portuguese murangaos, (the modern Portuguese moranguoiro). The manner of the fruit-bearing, near the ground, seems to have been the character of the plant more generally observed, however, than that of the fruit, for we have Virgil's verse, "humi nascentia fraga," child of the soil, and Pliny's epithet, "terrestribus fragis," ground strawberry, as distinguishing from the Arbutus unedo Linn.

or strawberry tree, as also the modern vernacular appellations, such as the Belgian eertbesien, Danish jordbeer, German erdbeere, Netherland aerdbesie, while even the English strawberry, the Anglo-Saxon streowberie, spelled in modern fashion by Turner in 1538, is said to have been derived from the spreading nature of the runners of the plant, and to have come originally from the observed strewed, anciently strawed, condition of the stems, and reading as if written strawedberry plant. It was called straeberry by Lidgate in the fifteenth century. The classical history of the strawberry can be written very shortly. Virgil refers to the "humi nascentia fraga" in his third Eclogue; Ovid to the "arbuteos fructus mon-tanaque fraga" in his Metamorphoses, book I, v. 104, as furnishing a food of the golden age and again in the 13th book, "mollia fraga;" and Pliny mentions the plant by name in his lib. xxi, c.

50, and separates the ground strawberry from the arbutus tree in his lib. xv, c. 28. The fruit is not mentioned in the cook-book ascribed to Apicius Coelius, an author supposed to have lived about A. D. 230. The Greeks seem to have had no knowledge of the plant or fruit; at least there is no word in their writings which commentators have agreed in interpreting as applying to the strawberry. Nicolaus Myripsicus, an author of the tenth century, uses the word phragouli, and Forskal, in the eighteenth century, found the word phraouli in use for the strawberry by the Greeks about Belgrade. Fraas gives the latter word for the modern Greek, and Sibthorp the word kovkoumaria, which resembles the ancient Greek komaros or komaron, applied to the arbutus tree, whose fruit has a superficial resemblance to the strawberry. Neither the strawberry nor its cultivation is mentioned by Ibnal-awam, an author of the tenth century, unusually full and complete in his treatment of garden, orchard, and field products, nor by Albertus Magnus, who died A. D.

1280. It is not mentioned in The Forme of Cury, a roll of ancient English cookery compiled about A. D. 1390 by two master cooks of King Richard II; nor in Ancient Cookery, a recipe book of 1381; nor at the Inthronization Feast of George Neville, Archbishop of York, in 1504. The fruit was, however, known in London in the time of Henry VI, for in a poem by John Lidgate, who died about 1483, we find "Then unto London I dyde me hye, Of all the land it bearyeth the pryse; 'Gode pescode,' one began to cry — 'Strabery rype, and cherry s in the ryse.' " The strawberry is figured fairly well in the Ortus Sanitatis, 1511, c. 188, but there is no mention of culture. Ruellius, however, 1536, speaks of it as growing wild in shady situations, says gardens furnish a larger fruit, and mentions even a white variety.

Fuchsius, 1542, also speaks of the larger garden variety, and Estinne, 1545, (perhaps also in his first edition of the De Re Hortensi, 1535), says strawberries are used as delicacies on the table, with sugar and cream, or wine, and that they are of the size of a hazelnut; he says the plants bear most palatable fruit, red, especially when they are fully ripe; that some grow on the mountains and woods, and are wild, but that some cultivated ones are so odorous that nothing can be more so, and that these are larger, and some are white, others red, yet others are both red and white. Cultivated strawberries are also noted by many authors of the sixteenth century, as by Mizaldus, 1560; Pena and Lobel in 1571; and in 1586 Lyte's Dodoens records, "they be also much planted in gardens." Porta, 1592, regards them as among the delicacies of the garden and the delights of the palate.

Hyll, 1593, says "they be much eaten at all men's tables," and that "they will grow in gardens unto the bigness of a mulberry." Le Jardinier Solitaire, 1612, gives directions for planting, and Parkinson, 1629, notes a number of varieties. As to size, Dorstenius, 1540, speaks of them as of the size of a hazel-nut; Bauhin, 1596, as being double the size of the wild; the Hortus Eystettensis, 1613, figures berries one and three-eighths inches in diameter; Parkinson, in 1629, as "neere five inches about;" Plat, 1653, as two inches about in bigness; Vaillant, 1727, as an inch and sometimes more in diameter.

It remained for Frezier, who discovered Fragaria chiloensis, and brought it to Europe in 1712, to describe fruit as of the size of a walnut, sometimes as large as an egg; and Burbridge, a recent writer, says that in the Equatorial Andes, in the province of Ambato, there are strawberries growing wild, equal in size and flavor to some of our best varieties. The strawberry plant is variable in nature, and it seems probable that the type of all the varieties noted under cultivation may be found in the wild plant, if diligently sought for. In the Maine fields there are plants of Fragaria vesca with roundish, as well as elongated fruit; of Fragaria virginiana with roundish berries and elongated berries, with berries having a distinct neck and those not necked; of a deep red, scarlet, and palish color; with large fruit and small fruit; with large growth and small growth, according to the fertility of the soil. As to color of fruit, white strawberries, to be referred to Fragaria vesca, are mentioned by Ruellius, 1536, and by a host of following writers.

Peck has found white berries of this species about Skaneateles, New York. A white-fruited variety of F. virginiana is noted by Dewey as abundant in the eastern portion of Berkshire County, Massachusetts. Molina records that the Chile strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, in Chile has red, white, and yellow-fruited varieties, and Frezier, who introduced the species to Europe in 1712, calls the fruit pale red. Gmelin in his Flora Sibirica, 1768, mentions three varieties of Fragaria vesca; one with a larger flower and fruit, one with white fruit; a third with winged petioles and berries an inch long. This last variety seems to answer to those forms of strawberry plants occasionally found among the seedlings at the New York Agricultural Experiment Station, which have extra leaflets upon the stem of the petiole. Five-leaved strawberry plants are noted by many of the early writers; an account of such plants may also be found in the Report of the New York Agricultural Experiment Station for 1877.

Variegated-leaved forms are named by Tournefort, 1719, and a number of varieties by Mawe in 1778. Such forms were also noted among the seedling Alpines at the New York Station in 1887. Don, in his History of Dichlamydeous Plants, 1832, describes Fragaria vesca as varying into red, white, and black fruit, as without runners, as double flowered, as with stamens transformed into flowers, as without petals and with foliaceous sepals; F. majaufea Duch., as varying into green, red, and purple fruit; F. breslingea Duch., as having varieties with usually five-lobed leaves; F. elatior as possessing a curled-leaved form; F. grandiflora as furnishing a variegated-leaved form; and F. chiloensis as having red-fleshed and white-fleshed fruit. Among the variations to be also noted is that of losing all its leaves in winter ascribed to the F. viridis Weston, and the twice-bearing habit of the Alpines, F. vesca Linn., var.

a. The earliest cultivated variety with a distinct nomenclature seems to be the Le Chapiron, of the Gallobelgians, a variety with a large, pale-colored berry, so named by Lobel, in 1576, and called by him Chapiton in the index to his Icones, 1591. (The Capiton of Tournefort, 1719, seems to correspond to the modern Hautbois class.) The name, Le Capiton, occurs also in the Hortus Regius Parisiis, 1665. It is quite probable that the Caprons mentioned by Quintinye in 1672, are the same or a similar variety, as both kinds are to be referred to Fragaria elatior Ehrh. - The modern varieties under American culture have usually large berries with more or less sunken seeds, with the trusses lower than the leaves, and seem to belong mostly to the species represented in nature by Fragaria virginiana, although they are supposed hybridizations with Fragaria chiloensis, and, in the higher-flavored class, with Fragaria elatior.

Certain it is that, in growing seedlings from our improved varieties, reversions often occur to varieties referable to the Hautbois and Chilean sorts, from which hybridization can be inferred. One notes as of common occurrence that seedlings from high-flavored varieties are very likely to furnish some plants of the Hautbois class, and even scarcely, if at all, distinguishable from named varieties of the Hautbois with which there has been opportunity for close comparison. From large-berried varieties of diminished flavor, and which occasionally throw hollowed berries, the reversion occasionally produces plants unmistakably of the Chilean type. In other cases we have noticed reversions to forms of Fragaria vesca. These circumstances all lead towards establishing the mingled parentage of our varieties under cultivation, and render the classification of cultivated varieties somewhat difficult.

Vilmorin seems to have separated varieties into natural groupings under the headings: Wood strawberries, Fragaria vesca Linn.; Alpine strawberries, Fragaria alpina Pers.; Short-runnered Fragaria collina Ehrh.; Hautbois, Fragaria elatior Ehrh.; Scarlet, Fragaria virginiana Ehrh.; Chile, Fragaria chiloensis Duch.; Pineapple, Fragaria grandiflora Ehrh., and Hybrid (Fragaria hybrida). Under the latter distribution, to which he does not venture the Latin nomenclature, he does not recognize sufficient identity of character for general description, but one may well believe that an extended acquaintance with varieties will enable a description to be formulated which will make of this group a species by convenience, or, otherwise expressed, a historical species, with a number of subspecies (for convenience) which shall simplify the question of arrangement and which will enable us to secure a quicker identification of varieties. The changes which have been produced, or have appeared under cultivation, seem comparatively few. 1. Increased size of plant. Yet in nature we find variability in this respect, arising from greater or less fertility or favoring character of the soil and exposure.

This increase of size seems also in a measure to have become hereditary. 2. Increased size of berry. In nature we find variability in this respect. All analogical reasoning justifies the belief that this gain may arise through heredity influenced by long series of selections. 3. Firmness of berry. Present knowledge does not admit of assigning a cause for this feature, unless it has been gained through hybridization. 4. Flavor. This seems to be the direct sequence of hybridization, in its more marked aspects; in its lesser aspects it does not seem to exceed that which occurs between natural varieties. 5. Aspect. This seems to have been acquired through the action of hybridization, when the influence of one parent appears to have become predominant. The whole subject of the influences noted and to be ascribed to -hybridization must be left for further study. - Fragaria chiloensis Duchesne. Garden Strawberry. Pine Strawberry. Western shores of the New World. This is a dioecious strawberry, bearing very large fruit and called in Chile quelghen. The best quality of fruit, according to Molina, came from the Chilean provinces of Puchacay and Huilquilemu.

The plant was carried by Frezier in 1712 from Conception to Europe and from Europe was carried to the West Indies. Prince describes the Large Scarlet Chile as imported to this country from Lima, about 1820, and the Montevideo, about 1840, and 14 other, varieties originating from this species. Fragaria collina Ehrh. Green Strawberry. Europe and northern Asia. The fruits are greenish, tinged with red, of a musky, rich, pineapple flavor. Prince enumerates four varieties as cultivated. Fragaria elatior Ehrh. Hautbois Strawberry. Europe. The French call this class of strawberries caprons. The fruit has a musky flavor which many persons esteem. Prince describes eight varieties in cultivation. Fragaria vesca Linn. Alpine Strawberry. Perpetual Strawberry. Wood Strawberry. Temperate regions.

Previous to 1629, the date of the introduction of the Virginian strawberry, this was the species generally gathered in Europe and the fruit referred to by Shakespeare: "My lord of Ely, when I was last in Holbom, I saw good strawberries in your garden there." This species is mentioned by Virgil, Ovid and Pliny as a wild plant. Lyte, in his translation of Dodoens' Herball, refers to it as growing wild in 1578 and first appearing in an improved variety in cultivation about 1660. A. De Candolle, however, states that it was cultivated in the mediaeval period. Gray says it is indigenous in the United States, particularly northward. In Scandinavia, it ripens beyond 70°. Prince enumerates 10 varieties of the Wood, and 15 varieties of the Alpine, under cultivation. In 1766, Duchesne says, "The King of England was understood to have received the first seed from Turin." It was such a rarity that a pinch of seed sold for a guinea. Fragaria virginiana Duchesne. Scarlet Strawberry. Virginia Strawberry. Eastern North America.

Called by the New England Indians wuttahimneask. The Indians bruised this strawberry with meal in a mortar and made bread. This fruit was mentioned by Edward Winslow in Massachusetts in 1621. The settlers on the ship Arabella, at Salem, June 12, 1630, went ashore and regaled themselves with strawberries. Wood, in his New England Prospects, says strawberries were in abundance, "verie large ones, some being two inches about." Roger Williams says "this berry is the wonder of all the fruits growing naturally in these parts. It is of itself excellent; so that one of the chiefest doctors of England was wont to say, that God could have made, but God never did make, a better berry. In some parts where the Indians have planted, I have many times seen as many as would fill a good ship, within few miles compass." This fruit was first mentioned in England, by Parkinson, 1629, but it was a hundred years or more afterwards before attention began to be paid to improved seedlings. Hovey's Seedling was originated in America in 1834.

Prince, in 1861, gives a descriptive list of 87 varieties which he refers to this species. Fragaria Strawberry, Beach strawberry, Pacific beach strawberry, Sandwich beach strawberry, Virginia strawber PFAF Plant Database Fragaria is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.2 m (0ft 8in) by 1 m (3ft 3in). It is hardy to zone (UK) 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from May to November, and the seeds ripen from Jun to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. Synonyms Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Ground Cover; Cultivated Beds; Edible Uses Edible Parts: Fruit . Edible Uses: Fruit - raw[K].

A delicious flavour, the fruit is almost as large as an average cultivated strawberry but it is not very freely produced[187, K]. Medicinal Uses Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. None known Other Uses The plant spreads rapidly by means of runners and can be used as a ground cover[K]. Cultivation details Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced. This species is a hybrid of garden origin between two species from different genera, the cultivated strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa and the marsh cinquefoil, Potentilla palustris. It should eventually get a Latin name that combines parts of the two generic names, but until then it is included here under Fragaria[K]. To date (1995) only one cultivar is available in garden centres etc. Called 'Pink Panda' it spreads very freely by means of runners, flowers heavily all through the summer, but does not produce much fruit[K]. Propagation Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse.

The seed can take 4 weeks or more to germinate. The seedlings are very small and slow-growing at first, but then grow rapidly. Prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out during the summer. This plant is a bi-generic hybrid and will not breed true from seed. Division of runners, preferably done in July/August in order to allow the plants to become established for the following years crop[200]. They can also be moved in the following spring if required, though should not then be allowed to fruit in their first year. The runners can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Other Names Found In Weed Potential Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking. Conservation Status IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Related Plants Fragaria - Plant List - Bay Natives: Bring Nature Into Your Life Bring Nature Into Your Life Beach Strawberry Forms a thick groundcover, easy and tough even dog tolerant. Beach Strawberry can be distinguished from Wood Strawberry by it's glossy thicker more leathery leaves.

Qty: Beach Strawberry This selection has large 2" flowers and extra glossy leaves with red-seeded white fruit from Bodega Bay. Forms a thick groundcover, easy and tough even dog tolerant. Beach Strawberry can be distinguished from Wood Strawberry by it's glossy thicker more leathery leaves. Qty: Fragaria chiloensis 'Schooner Gulch Dwarf' Beach Strawberry Forms a thick groundcover, easy and tough even dog tolerant. Beach Strawberry can be distinguished from Wood Strawberry by it's glossy thicker more leathery leaves. Qty: Wood Strawberry A fast and easy groundcover for partial shade, the woodland strawberry gives wonderful white rose-flowers in the spring followed by a bounty of compact, tasty fruit. Soft velvety green leaves take on attractive shades of red when given less water and more sun. Qty: Fragaria vesca 'Semperflorens' Alpine Strawberry PFAF Plant Database Physical Characteristics Fragaria vesca 'Semperflorens' is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft) by 0.3 m (1ft in). It is hardy to zone (UK) 5 and is not frost tender.

It is in flower from May to November, and the seeds ripen from Jun to November. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies, lepidoptera.Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil. Synonyms Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Cultivated Beds; Edible Uses Edible Uses: Coffee ; Tea . Fruit - raw, cooked or made into preserves[183]. Sweet and succulent with an exquisite taste, they are far superior to the cultivated strawberry[K]. The fruit is fairly small, up to 15mm in diameter, but it is produced abundantly from early summer until the frosts of autumn[K]. Young leaves - raw or cooked[52, 105]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[183].

The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[7, 177, 183]. The root has been used as a coffee substitute in India[240]. Medicinal Uses Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally. Astringent ; Diuretic ; Laxative ; Tonic . The leaves and the fruit are astringent, diuretic, laxative and tonic[4, 9, 222]. The leaves are mainly used, though the fruits are an excellent food to take when feverish and are also effective in treating rheumatic gout[4]. A slice of strawberry is also excellent when applied externally to sunburnt skin[4]. A tea made from the leaves is a blood tonic[222]. It is used in the treatment of chilblains[53] and also as an external wash on sunburn[222]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[238].

The fruits contain salicylic acid and are beneficial in the treatment of liver and kidney complaints, as well as in the treatment of rheumatism and gout[244]. The roots are astringent and diuretic[4, 222]. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and chronic dysentery[4, 244]. Externally it is used to treat chilblains and as a throat gargle[244]. The roots are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[238]. Other Uses Compost ; Teeth . The flowers are an alternative ingredient of 'Quick Return' herbal compost activator[32]. This is a dried and powdered mixture of several herbs that can be added to a compost heap in order to speed up bacterial activity and thus shorten the time needed to make the compost[K]. The fruit is used as a tooth cleaner[4]. The fresh fruit removes stains from teeth if it is allowed to remain for about 5 minutes[4]. The fruit is also used cosmetically in skin-care creams[7].

It tones and whitens the skin, combats wrinkles, lightens freckles, soothes sunburn and whitens the teeth[244]. Cultivation details Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position[27, 200]. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced when plants are growing in such a position. Prefers some shade according to some reports[3, 31]. Plants are often found on clay soils[31] and on soils overlying chalk[13]. Alpine strawberries appreciate a mulch of pine or spruce leaves[18]. The alpine strawberry is often cultivated in the garden for its edible fruit. This fruit is fairly small but exquisitely flavoured and is freely produced from June to November. There are some named varieties[183]. It is not very feasible to grow this plant on a commercial scale because it is very labour intensive to pick and it is also hard to get the fruit to market in good quality. However, it is sometimes grown by specialised growers for the luxury market.

The main drawback of growing this plant is that it tends to lose vigour after about 2 - 3 years, partly due to virus diseases and partly because the plant flowers and fruits so freely that it exhausts itself. Propagation Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed can take 4 weeks or more to germinate. The seedlings are very small and slow-growing at first, but then grow rapidly. Prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out during the summer. Other Names Found In Weed Potential Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

Conservation Status IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : Related Plants Fragaria vesca - Plant Finder Plant Finder Tried and Trouble-free Recommended by 1 Professionals Species Native to Missouri Native Range: Temperate northern Hemisphere Zone: 5 to 9 Height: 0.25 to 0.75 feet Spread: 0.75 to 1.00 feet Bloom Time: May to August Bloom Description: White with yellow center Sun: Full sun to part shade Water: Medium Suggested Use: Ground Cover, Naturalize Flower: Showy Garden locations Culture Best grown in humusy, fertile, medium moisture, well-drained soil in full sun to part shade. Prefers full sun. Plant will spread by runners and may self-seed if fruit is not harvested. Noteworthy Characteristics Fragaria vesca, commonly called woodland strawberry, is a small-fruited, everbearing wild strawberry that is native to Europe and Asia. Varieties of the species are found in North America both naturally and as introduced. This is a compact, stemless, 4-8” tall plant that spreads indefinitely by runners that root as they go. Numerous, small, 5-petaled white flowers with yellow centers appear throughout summer.

Tri-foliate, coarsely-toothed, green leaves. Flowers are followed by edible, bright red strawberries (1/2” long) that may be harvested throughout summer. Flowers and fruit are usually simultaneously present on plants in summer. Although Steyermark finds F. vesca var. americana to be present in Missouri, the common wild strawberry of Missouri is a similar species, F. virginiana var. illinoensis. Genus name comes from the Latin word fraga meaning strawberry presumably from fragrans meaning fragrant in reference to the perfume of the fruit. Specific epithet means edible. Problems Strawberries are susceptible to a number of fungal diseases including anthracnose, leaf spots, rots, wilts, powdery mildew and blights. Insect visitors include spider mites and aphids. Leaf scorch may occur in hot summer climates. This species has good resistance to the aforementioned diseases and insects. Garden Uses Woodland strawberry is generally grown for its ornamental features because the fruits are so small. Native plant gardens. Edger or groundcover. Rock gardens. Open woodland areas. Also may be grown in containers or pots.

Wild Strawberry | Rose Family (Rosaceae) Description Both species of strawberry described here can be observed for Plantwatch. They look very similar and bloom at about the same time. It is not necessary to identify what species you are observing, as long as it is a wild strawberry. For your interest, differences are described below. Wild strawberries are perennial herbs that grow from a fibrous root with short rhizomes (creeping roots). They have long, slender, leafless runners that are often reddish in colour. These runners root when they contact the soil, to form new plants. Leaves: The leaves are divided into three strongly-toothed, egg-shaped leaflets (leaflets usually 2 to 7cm long). Fragaria viriginiana: The upper leaf surface is bluish-green, the terminal tooth of each leaflet is shorter than its adjoining teeth, and the leaf teeth are blunter. Fragaria vesca: The leaves are yellow-green on the upper surface, and the terminal leaflet tooth of F. vesca is longer than its adjoining teeth. Flowers: Each plant has 2 to 15 small flowers with yellow centres and white petals (7 mm to 10 mm long).

Fruit: The fruit of the wild strawberry is small (up to 1.5 cm wide), and looks like a miniature version of store-bought strawberries. F. virginiana seeds are sunken in pits on the strawberry surface, and the fruit stem is shorter than the leaves. The seeds of F. vesca sit on the fruit surface, and the fruit stems are longer than the leaves. Distribution Found throughout Alberta, but not common in the southeast. Habitat Wild strawberries grow in open, well-drained places in lowland to subalpine zones. These plants can be found in fields and meadows, in disturbed areas, and in open forest. How to Observe If the plants are very abundant, mark a plot about one metre by one metre in size. 2. Record these dates: First bloom: When the first flowers are open in the plants or patch observed. Mid bloom: When approximately half (50%) of the flowers on the plants under observation are open. When does this plant bloom? Flowers in May, after spring thaw. Life Cycle The fruit represents the enlarged fleshy and juicy receptacle of the flower, with seeds borne in pits near the surface.

Runners allow for vegetative reproduction, where the running stems root at the tips and produce new plants. Occasionally, some or all of the stamens (male parts of flowers) are sterile, producing no pollen. The woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) frequently hybridizes with wild strawberry (F. virginiana), making some plants difficult to distinguish to species. The deeply pitted fruit in wild strawberry (F. virginiana) is one differentiating characteristic that appears to be consistent. Ecology Wild strawberry fruits are eaten by a number of birds and mammals, which disseminate the seeds in their droppings. Squirrels like to feast on the strawberries. Deer also favour the plants, and deer populations can have a major impact on growth of strawberries. First Nations Peoples on the west coast of British Columbia have noted that since deer were introduced on the Queen Charlotte Islands, the number of strawberry plants (likely the similar species, Fragaria chiloensis) has been severely reduced. When the flowers are smaller than usual and greenish in colour, that is probable evidence that the plant is infected with a virus disease.

There are about 35 native species of Fragaria in temperate and subtropical areas of the Northern Hemisphere and in South America. Human Uses A favorite fruit everywhere, wild strawberries are probably best enjoyed fresh, as a tasty bite along the trail. In the past, some First Nations Peoples have mashed the fruit spread out over mats to dry in the sun, but other groups considered them too juicy to dry. The flavour of the fruits is dependent on local conditions. Strawberry flowers, leaves, and stems were also sometimes eaten. Strawberry-leaf tea is a good vitamin C supplement. It also has various medicinal uses. For example, the root is a strong astringent and is used as a treatment for diarrhea and other digestive orders. Herbalists suggest a tonic made from the leaves is good for the female reproductive system and to soothe inflammations of the skin and eyes. Large amounts of strawberry fruit in the diet is said to slow dental plaque formation. Ash made from the roots was mixed with water to make a paste which was applied to open sores to facilitate the healing. Young girls from one west native coast native group wore headbands and belts of strawberry runners plaited together in three or four strands.

Today, the leaf essential oil is in demand for aromatherapy. Wild strawberries are too small to compete with commercial hybrid strawberries, but remain a popular item with hikers and walkers. Horticulture (Use in the Garden) The common cultivated strawberry that is grown commercially and in gardens is considered to be of hybrid origin between the wild strawberry, F. virginiana, and the west coast F. chiloensis (L.) Duschesne. It was first developed in France and has been much improved by American breeders so that it is grown over a wider distribution than any other temperate-zone fruit. This hybrid species is the parent plant for 90% of the cultivated varieties of strawberries now grown. The wild varieties are easily grown and some believe the flavour is tastier than the domestic varieties. However, the domestic hybrids have larger fruits. Quotes “This berry is the wonder of all fruits growing naturally in these parts. It is of itself excellent: so that one of the chiefest doctors in England was wont to say, that God could have made, but God never did make, a better berry.

In some parts where the Indians have planted, I have many times seen as many as would fill a good ship, within few miles compass.” (Roger Williams, an early colonist of Rhode Island, 1643) References Clark, L. J. 1976. Wild flowers of the Pacific Northwest. Ed. By J. Trelawny. Gray’s Publishing Ltd., Sidney, British Columbia. Kershaw, L., A. MacKinnon, and J. Pojar. 1998. Plants of the Rocky Mountains. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton, Alberta. Kershaw, L. 2000. Edible and medicinal plants of the Rockies. Lone Pine Publishing. Edmonton, Alberta. Kindscher, K. 1992. Medicinal Wild Plants of the Prairie: An Ethnobotanical Guide. University Press of Kansas. Lawrence, Kansas. MacKinnon, A. J. Pojar, and R. Coupe. 1992. Plants of northern British Columbia. B.C. Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. Marie-Victorin, F. 1964. Flore Laurentienne.

Les Presses de l’Université de Montreal. Montreal, Quebec. Marles, Robin J. et al. 2000. Aboriginal plant use in Canada’s Northwest Boreal Forest. Natural Resources Canada. UBC Press. Vancouver, British Columbia. Porslid, A.E. and W. J. Cody. 1980. Vascular plants of continental Northwest Territories, Canada. National Museum of Natrual Sciences, National Museums of Canada. Ottawa, Ontario. Roland, A. E. and E. C. Smith. 1969. The flora of Nova Scotia. Nova Scotia Museum. Halifax, Nova Scotia. Scotter, G. W., H. Flygare. 1986. Wildflowers of the Canadian Rockies. Hurtig Publishers Ltd. Edmonton, Alberta. Scoggan, H. J. 1978. The Flora of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences. Ottawa, Ontario. Taylor, T. M. C. 1973. The rose family of British Columbia. British Columbia Prov. Museum Handbook No. 50 Victoria, British Columbia. Tilford, G. L.

1997. Edible and medicinal plants of the west. Mountain Press Publ. Co. Missoula, Montana. Torrey, J. and A. Gray. 1969. A flora of North America. Hafner Publishing. London. Turner, N. J. 1987. Food plants of British Columbia Indians-coast peoples. British Columbia Provincial Museum. Victoria, British Columbia. Turner, N. J. 1979. Plants in British Columbia Indian technology. Royal British Columbia Museum Handbook No. 38. Victoria, British Columbia. Ward-Harris, J. 1983. More than meets the eye- the life and lore of western wildflowers. Oxford University Press, Toronto, Ontario. Search medicinal herbs: FRAGARIA Medicinal herbs Family: Rosaceae (Rose Family) Edible parts of Fragaria: Fruit - raw. A delicious flavour, the fruit is almost as large as an average cultivated strawberry but it is not very freely produced. Description of the plant: Not known in the wild. Other uses of Fragaria: The plant spreads rapidly by means of runners and can be used as a ground cover.

Propagation of the herb: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed can take 4 weeks or more to germinate. The seedlings are very small and slow-growing at first, but then grow rapidly. Prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out during the summer. This plant is a bi-generic hybrid and will not breed true from seed. Division of runners, preferably done in July/August in order to allow the plants to become established for the following years crop. They can also be moved in the following spring if required, though should not then be allowed to fruit in their first year. The runners can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. Cultivation of Fragaria: Not known in the wild. Medicinal use of the herb: None known

Question: ‘Fragaria’ is the Latin name for which fruit?
Answer: Strawberry