The wild strawberry thrives along sandy soils near lakes and oceans.The wild strawberry is not the plant used to produce the strawberries found in super markets.Page drafted by Wendy Deng and Charlie MarshallĬlick here to go back to ES 203 Home Page. The red color and flesh of the fruit is the result of the tissues that held the ovary swelling and ripening and fusing to the ovary next to it, eventually creating a succulent, juicy mass we are familiar with. To the human eye, these achenes look like that tiny yellow seeds or specks on the strawberry fruit. In the center of the flower is a rounded core of ovaries, that when pollinated by bees, develop into many tiny fruits called achenes. Tea from the wild strawberry’s dried leaves is used to treat dysentery.Įven though we call them “berries,” the strawberry that we eat has an intriguing structure that is not a true botanical berry. Pests: Black vine weevil is a pest that eats its leaves. Humans: Humans can use the plants leaves for medicinal purposes, or eat its receptacle, which is a food source. Non-human: Many types of wildlife depend on the wild strawberry as a food source. Also, many types of wildlife eats it’s central portion of the flower, which is known as the receptacle. It also converts carbon dioxide to oxygen, which is important for all organisms. It uses photosynthesis to convert the sun’s energy into glucose. It prefers rich soil and moist conditions. It is able to tolerate shade since it develops early in the spring. The wild strawberry commonly lives under full or partial sun. When it is in open prairies it is usually not very far from woodlands. The habitats of wild strawberry include moist black soil prairies, openings and edges of woodlands, savannas, limestone glades, and areas along railroads. After it produces fruits in hot summer months it becomes dormant, and new leaves and flowers will grow the next year. Life span: The wild strawberry has a perennial root system. Producing runners is the main way that the wild strawberry reproduces since seed germination is poor. Theses runners are often dull red colored. The wild strawberry produces long hairy runners up to 2 inches long, which re-root to form plantlets. Runner: Runners are stems that grow at the soil surface or just below ground that form new roots and new plants from the buds. The fruit that people normally eat is not a botanical fruit, but rather an enlarged receptacle, the part that holds the ovaries, which develop into the black small fruits on the strawberry. The wild strawberry fruits are much smaller than the garden strawberry with which people are familiar. Each pistil in the flower develops into a dark colored fruit, or a commonly perceived “seed” on the strawberries. There are ten small green sepals under the petals. The flowers are white with many yellow stamens and pistils. The leaflets are oval shaped and have coarse teeth along the edge except near the bottom.įlower | Seeds: The wild strawberry flowers in April, May and June. Each leaflet is about 3 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. The leaves are green on top and pale green underneath. Leaf: A plant is typically consists of several trifoliate leaves at the tips of long hairy petioles. It is one of two species of strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern domesticated garden strawberry. See How to Grow Natives From Seed for detailed instructions.The wild strawberry, Fragaria virginiana, is an herbaceous perennial plant native to North America. If you have specific questions about seeds and germination guidelines please contact us at seeds can be sown and placed outdoors in fall or winter bypassing the need for an artificial indoor cold stratification (refrigerator) required for some species when planted in spring.
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