Fragaria vesca (Alpine strawberry)

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Fragaria vesca L.

Alpine strawberry, white 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	vesca	“Little”

About plant names...

Wild strawberries are common worldwide, throughout the northern hemisphere, in a wide range of habitats. They are members of the rose family.

Identification: Wild strawberries have the characteristic shape and outer “seeds” of their cultivated brethren, but they are much smaller: up to ⅜″ (1 cm). And they may not be red in color. All strawberries go from green to white before ripening to red, but some wild strawberries lack a protein called Fra a1, which is necessary for them to turn red. White strawberries that look and feel ripe probably are. Regardless of berry color, wild strawberries are dotted with tiny “seeds,” called achenes. The achenes are actually tiny berries, each containing a thin fruity outer pulp and a large seed. Plants are low-growing, typically 3-6″ (7.6-15 cm) tall. Leaves occur in groups of three; each leaflet is ½-2½″ (1.5-6.3 cm) long. Flowers are white, about ½″ (1.5 cm) across.

Wild strawberries are similar to common 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:

5/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm)

5/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm)

Though usually red, some varieties produce white fruits. · 6/20/2010 · Stan and Connie Kent, Falmouth, Maine · By Constance B. Kent

	*Duchesnea indica*	*Fragaria ‘Red Ruby’*	You are here 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 1-2′ (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

	*Fragaria virginiana*	*Waldsteinia fragarioides*
Common Name	common strawberry	barren strawberry
Plant	2-4″ (5-10 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.	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.	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.	Dry, inconspicuous seeds.
Range/ Zones
Habitats	Fields, prairies, woodland edges	Pine forests, clearings
Type	Wild	Wild

Edibility: Wild strawberries were the first variety to be cultivated and sold. They are delicious, much more flavorful than today's cultivated varieties. Eat them raw, prepare jams, or use them anywhere you would use grocery store strawberries. The dried leaves make a tasty tea.

Online References:

Ookaboo.com

Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

CalPhotos

Bjørn Rørslett/NN's Nature Photography site

The USDA Forest Service's Fire Effects Information Database

References:

Peterson, Lee Allen, Peterson Field Guides: Edible Wild Plants of Eastern/Central North America, Houghton Mifflin Company, 1977, p. 30.

6/3/2021 · Widgeon Cove, Harpswell, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm)

Fragaria vesca description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 13 Oct 2021.

5/21/2010 · Nashua River Rail Trail, Groton, Massachusetts · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) ID is dubious

Range:

About this map...