common strawberry

(Fragaria virginiana)

Overview
common strawberry
 
 

Common strawberry is native to eastern and central North America, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Minnesota, and south as far as Alabama. It is very common in Minnesota. It is found in open fields, meadows, and woodland openings. It grows under full to partial sun in loamy, dry to moist soil. It spreads quickly, often forming dense mats or patches that can cover large areas.

 
 

The fruit is a favorite of many animals, including birds, deer, and small mammals. It is also commonly harvested by humans for use in jams, jellies, pies, and other desserts. The plant is also used in traditional medicine for various ailments, such as diarrhea, skin disorders, and respiratory problems.

 
     
 
Description
 
 

Common strawberry is an erect, 4 to 6 tall, perennial forb that rises from rhizomes. It is often found in colonies forming a loose ground cover. It spreads freely by producing dull red runners up to 24 long that root at the nodes giving rise to new plants.

There are usually several basal leaves on hairy, green or dull red stalks. The leaf stalks can get up to 6 long but are more commonly 3 long or less. The leaves are divided into 3 leaflets.

The leaflets are thick, firm, elliptic to inversely egg-shaped, ¾ to 2¾ long, and up to 1½ wide. The lateral veins branch off of the central vein at an angle of about 30°. The upper surface is dark green to bluish-green and hairless. The lower surface is pale green and silky, with long, soft, slender, somewhat appressed hairs. The margins are coarsely toothed except near the base, where they are untoothed. The terminal tooth of the leaflet is narrower (less than half as wide) and shorter than (does not protrude beyond) the two adjacent teeth.

The inflorescence is a flat-topped or round-topped, branched cluster of a few to 12 flowers at the end of a hairy stalk that is shorter than the leaves. The flowers sit at about the same height as the leaves.

The flowers are ½ to 1 wide. There are 5 white, ¼ to ½ long petals, 5 green sepals about 2 5 long, 5 green, leaf-like bracts about the same length as the petals, 20 to 40 stamens with yellow anthers, and numerous pistils.

The fruit is an accessory fruit, consisting of a fleshy receptacle with achenes on the surface. It is roundish, ½ to ¾ long, with the familiar shape of the cultivated strawberry. The seed-like achenes are deeply embedded in pits on the surface of the fruit.

 
     
 
Distribution
 
 

Distribution Map

 

Sources

2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 24, 28, 29, 30.

 
  4/2/2023      
         
 
Taxonomy
 
  Kingdom Plantae (green algae and land plants)  
  Subkingdom Viridiplantae (green plants)  
  Infrakingdom Streptophyta (land plants and green algae)  
  Superdivision Embryophyta (land plants)  
  Division Tracheophyta (vascular plants)  
  Subdivision Spermatophytina (seed plants)  
  Class Magnoliopsida (flowering plants)  
  Superorder Rosanae  
 

Order

Rosales (roses, elms, figs, and allies)  
 

Family

Rosaceae (rose)  
  Subfamily Rosoideae (brambles, roses, strawberries, and allies)  
  Tribe Potentilleae (strawberries, cinquefoils, and allies)  
  Subtribe Fragariinae (strawberry)  
 

Genus

Fragaria (strawberries)  
       
 

Subordinate Taxa

 
 

blueleaf strawberry (Fragaria virginiana ssp. glauca)

Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana ssp. grayana)

Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana ssp. platypetala)

Virginia strawberry (Fragaria virginiana ssp. virginiana)

 
       
 

Most authorities, including ITIS, GRIN, USDA PLANTS, Flora of North America, and Plants of the World Online (POWO), recognize four subspecies of common strawberry. A few sources, including World Flora Online and Steyermark’s Flora of Missouri Vol. 3 (Yatskievych, 2013), consider these synonyms and don’t recognize any subspecies.

 
       
 

Synonyms

 
 

Fragaria canadensis

Fragaria ovalis

 
       
 

Common Names

 
 

common strawberry

thick-leaved wild strawberry

Virginia strawberry

wild strawberry

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glossary

Accessory fruit

A fruit formed from the ovary but containing much fleshy tissue derived from adjacent parts, such as an apple. pear, or strawberry.

 

Achene

A dry, one-chambered, single-seeded fruit, formed from a single carpel, with the seed attached to the membranous outer layer (wall) only by the seed stalk; the wall, formed entirely from the wall of the superior ovary, does not split open at maturity, but relies on decay or predation to release the contents.

 

Bract

Modified leaf at the base of a flower stalk, flower cluster, or inflorescence.

 

Receptacle

The thickened, upper part of a flower stalk to which flowers or flower parts are attached. In composite flowers, the part on which the flowers are borne. In accessory fruits the receptacle gives rise to the edible part of the fruit.

 

Rhizome

A horizontal, usually underground stem. It serves as a reproductive structure, producing roots below and shoots above at the nodes.

 

Sepal

An outer floral leaf, usually green but sometimes colored, at the base of a flower.

 
 
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Luciearl

 
    common strawberry   common strawberry  
           
 
MinnesotaSeasons.com Photos
 
 

Plant

 
    common strawberry   common strawberry  
           
    common strawberry      
           
 

Inflorescence

 
    common strawberry   common strawberry  
           
 

Leaves

 
    common strawberry   common strawberry  
           
    common strawberry      

 

Camera

     
 
Slideshows
 
  Fragaria virginiana
Matt Lavin
 
  Fragaria virginiana  
 
About

Fruit: multiple achenes on a fleshy receptacle (accessory). Compared to Fragaria vesca, Fragaria virginiana has gray green and not-so-prominently veined leaves and is more open-site inhabiting. Stoloniferous scapose perennial herb with a creeping growth habit, common in meadows, grasslands, and open understory at all elevations in the mountainous regions of Montana.

 
  Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Andree Reno Sanborn
 
  Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)  
  Fragaria virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY
Frank Mayfield
 
  Fragaria virginiana WILD STRAWBERRY  

 

slideshow

       
 
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Other Videos
 
  Strawberry Flowers ~ Wild Strawberries (Fragaria virginiana)
Wandering Sole TV
 
   
 
About

Published on May 23, 2013

Wild strawberries in bloom in the East Kootenays of British Columbia. I found a nice patch. : )

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Tags: strawberry blossom, strawberry blossoms, strawberry flowers, strawberries in bloom, strawberry berry blossom, strawberry patch, strawberry fields, wild strawberries, wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, European strawberry, fraises des bois, rose family, Rosaceae, Fragaria

   
  MyNature Apps; Identifying Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana
MyNatureApps
 
   
 
About

Uploaded on May 14, 2011

How to Identify Wild Strawberry, Fragaria virginiana. www.mynatureapps.com

   

 

Camcorder

 
 
Visitor Sightings
 
           
 

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  Luciearl
6/19/2020

Location: Cass County

common strawberry  
  Crystal Boyd
5/29/2013

Location: La Salle Lake SNA

   
           
 
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