Fragaria virginiana (Common strawberry)

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Fragaria virginiana Duchesne

Common strawberry, Virginia strawberry, wild strawberry, strawberry

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Rosales	Rose family and eight others
Family	Rosaceae	Includes apples, apricots, plums, cherries, peaches, pears, raspberries, strawberries, almonds, roses, meadowsweets, photinias, firethorns, rowans, and hawthorns; many others
Genus	Fragaria	From the Latin fraga, “strawberry,” which derives from fragum, “fragrant,” from the fragrance of the fruit
Species	virginiana	From or referring to Virginia

About plant names...

This strawberry is native to North America. Often called the wild strawberry, its preferred common name is Virginia strawberry, since there is another common wild strawberry called the woodland strawberry.

Identification: Virginia strawberries remain close to the ground, spreading via their root systems. Leaf stalks up to 6" (15 cm) long bear groups of three leaves. Each leaf is oval in shape, with a serrated edge, about ¾-1½" (1.9-3.8 cm) long. Flowers are white with a yellow center, about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter, with five petals. Strawberries are about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter.

Common strawberries are similar to wild strawberries, and look a little like distantly related mock strawberries and barren strawberries. If the flowers are light pink or hot pink, you probably have a cultivated variety.

5/20/2023 · Knight’s Pond Preserve, Cumberland, Maine

6/26/2012 · By Jacquelyn Boyt

5/4/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, East Pepperell, Massachusetts
≈ 10 × 7" (24 × 17 cm)

	*Duchesnea indica*	*Fragaria ‘Red Ruby’*	*Fragaria vesca*
Common Name	mock strawberry	ornamental strawberry	alpine strawberry
Plant	Plants are 2-5" (5-12 cm) high.	About 5" (12 cm) high and 12-24" (30-60 cm) around.	Plants are low-growing, typically 3-6" (7.6-15 cm) tall.
Flowers	Flowers are yellow, with five petals, about ½-¾" (1.3-1.9 cm) in diameter. They flower from April to August.	Deep pink, about ¼-¾" (8.3-19 mm) in diameter, with five petals.	Flowers are white, about ½" (1.5 cm) across.
Leaves	Leaves are in groups of three, dark green, heavily veined beneath, with rounded teeth. They are oval to elliptic, ¾-3" (1.9-7.6 cm) × ¼-1½" (8.5-38 mm), and hairy.	Dark green, in groups of three, glossy.	Leaves occur in groups of three; each leaflet is ½-2½" (1.5-6.3 cm) long.
Fruit	Red berries are ¼-½" (6.3-12 mm) in diameter, more spherical than strawberry-like in shape. The seedlike achenes on the berry are prominently raised, making the fruit resemble a tiny land mine.	Occasionally produces fruit.	Up to ⅜" (1 cm) across. Red or white in color.
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 5-8
Habitats		Sun to light shade; well-drained soil
Type	Wild	Cultivar	Wild

	You are here Fragaria virginiana	*Fragaria ×ananassa ssp. ananassa*	*Waldsteinia fragarioides*
Common Name	common strawberry	strawberry	barren strawberry
Plant	2-4" (5-10 cm) high.	4-8" (10-20 cm) high.	3-8" (7.6-20 cm) high
Flowers	White flowers with yellow centers, about ½" (1.3 cm) around. Flowers remain at the level of the leaves.	Most have white flowers, though some are pink; flowers have five rounded petals.	Yellow, on a leafless stalk, with five petals, ¼-¾" (8.4-19 mm) around, blooms April-May.
Leaves	Leaf stalks up to 6" (15 cm) long bear groups of three leaves. Each leaf is oval in shape, with a serrated edge, about ¾-1½" (1.9-3.8 cm) long.	Leaves occur in groups of three. They are fairly rounded in shape, edged with rounded teeth.	Near the base of the plant, three-lobed, with rounded teeth and shallow lobes. Each leaflet is narrow at the base, widening to rounded ends.
Fruit	Berries are red, about ½" (1.3 cm) in diameter. Seeds are embedded in the berry. Sepals point outward.	Fruits become white, then red, up to 1½" (3.8 cm) in size.	Dry, inconspicuous seeds.
Range/ Zones		USDA Zones: 5-9
Habitats	Fields, prairies, woodland edges		Pine forests, clearings
Type	Wild	Wild	Wild

Edibility: Every strawberry has exactly the same amount of “strawberry essence,” whether it is a quarter inch around like these wild berries, or it is one of those bulbous giant cultivated berries. So if you want to experience true strawberry perfection, try these little wild berries. They’re unbelievable!

Online References:

Missouriplants.com

Illinois Wildflowers

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

BorealForest.org

The Vanderbilt University Bioimages web site

Montana Plant Life

CalPhotos

The University of Wisconsin's Robert W. Freckmann Herbarium

The Island Creek Elementary School's Study of Northern Virginia Ecology

Southeastern Flora, the Southeastern U.S. Plant Identification Resource