Fragaria virginiana, commonly known as Virginia strawberry or wild strawberry is actually a North American strawberry belonging to Rosaceae Juss. (Rose family). The plant grows across much of the United States and southern Canada. It is one of the two species of wild strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern domesticated garden strawberry (Fragaria × ananassa). Some of the popular common names of the plants are Mountain strawberry, Scarlet strawberry, Virginia strawberry, Wild strawberry, Common strawberry, Thick-leaved strawberry, Woods strawberry and Thick-leaved wild strawberry. 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 of Virginia. Historically, many plants in this genus were mulched with straw in order to combat the possible onset of fungal diseases, hence the common name of strawberry.

The common name of strawberry is believed to come from old English straw, the past tense of strew which refers to the tangle of vines the plant can make on the ground as it grows and grows. It has nothing to do with placing straw under the berries as they ripen. The genus name Fragaria comes from the Latin fraga, for ‘strawberry’. The species virginiana refers to the state of Virginia – where originally collected. It serves as a great alternative to lawn, tolerating foot traffic and responding well to the occasional mow. White flowers bloom in spring and fruits appear in the early to mid-summer, very tasty. It can be planted as a ground cover, for erosion control, and/or to support wildlife.

Virginia Strawberry Facts

Virginia strawberry (Scarlet strawberry) Quick Facts
Name:	Virginia strawberry (Scarlet strawberry)
Scientific Name:	Fragaria virginiana
Origin	United States and southern Canada
Colors	Yellowish green to reddish brown
Shapes	Fruits are up to ½ inches long and across, globoid or globoid-ovoid in shape,
Taste	Sweet, Sour
Health benefits	Support for diarrhea, irregular menses, gonorrhea, stomach and lung ailments, dysentery, cataract, anemia, gingivitis, toothache, scurvy, yellow teeth, asthma, wrinkles, rashes, bruises, gastritis and menopausal troubles

Name	Virginia strawberry
Scientific Name	Fragaria virginiana
Native	United States and southern Canada
Common Names	Mountain strawberry, Scarlet strawberry, Virginia strawberry, Wild strawberry, Common strawberry, Thick-leaved strawberry, Woods strawberry, Thick-leaved wild strawberry
Name in Other Languages	Arabic: Fara wlatan baraa (فر ولة برى), Frawlah barri, tut al’ard alfirjinia (توت الأرض الفرجيني) Bulgarian: Virdzhinska yagoda (Вирджинска ягода) Chinese: He wei zhou cao mei (和威州草莓), Mei guo wei ji ni ya zhou cao mei (美国维吉尼亚州草莓), Wei ji ni ya zhou cao mei (维吉尼亚州草莓 ), Fú zhōu cǎoméi (弗州草莓) Cree: Ohtihmina Czech: Jahodník viržinský, Jahodka virgínska Danish: Havejordbaer, Skarlagen-Jordbær, Skovjordbær Dutch: Bosaardbeien, Virginia aardbei, Wilde bosaardbeien English: Mountain strawberry, Scarlet strawberry, Virginia strawberry, Wild strawberry, Common strawberry, Thick-leaved strawberry, Woods strawberry Estonian: Virgiinia maasikas Finnish: Virginianmansikka French: Fraisier des champs, Fraise écarlate, Fraisier de Virginie, Fraise des champs German: Scharlacherdbeere, Scharlach-Erdbeere, Virginiaerdbeere, Virginische Erdbeere Italian: Fragoloni Japanese: Furagaria viruginiana (フラガリア・ウィルギニアナ ), Bājiniaichigo (バージニアイチゴ) Latvian: Virdžīnijas zemene Norwegian: Virginiajordbær Persian: توت‌فرنگی ویرجینیایی Polish: Poziomka wirginijska Portuguese: Morango da América do Norte, morangueiro-da-virgínia Russian: Zemlyanika virginskaya (Земляника виргинская), zemlyanika virdzhinskaya (земляника вирджинская), Zemlyanika shtata Virdzhiniya (Земляника штата Вирджиния) Slovenian: Jahoda virgínska Spanish: Fresón Swedish: Scharlakanssmultron, Virginianmansikka Turkish: Virginya çileği, Yabani çilek Ukrainian: Sunytsi virhinsʹki (суниці віргінські)
Plant Growth Habit	Low-growing, ground-hugging, fast-spreading, herbaceous perennial (i.e. not woody) plant
Growing Climates	Moist to dry fields, roadsides, gravelly meadows, grassy open slopes, thickets, forest edges, open forests in the lowland to subalpine zones, woodland openings, prairies, limestone glades, roadsides, black soil prairies, hill prairies, bluegrass meadows, small meadows in wooded areas, open woodlands, woodland borders, savannas, limestone glades and areas along railroads
Soil	Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced when plants grow in such a position
Plant Size	Up to 100 mm (4 in) tall
Leaf	Leaves are green (sometimes bluish-green) on top and pale green underneath. Each mature leaflet can reach to about 7 cm (3 inches) long and 4 cm (1.5 inches) wide; however, they are generally smaller.
Flowering season	April to June
Flower	Flowers have a hairy stalk. There are 5 green pointed sepals placed alternate with the petals and alternating with the sepals are 5 green shorter bractlets.
Fruit Shape & Size	Achene-dotted ovoid fruits up to ½ inches long and across
Fruit Color	Yellowish green to reddish brown
Taste	Sweet, Sour
Plant Parts Used	Leaves, Fruit, Root
Propagation	Both sexually by seed, and asexually by runners (stolons)
Season	June to July

Plant Description

Virginia strawberry is a low-growing, ground-hugging, fast-spreading, herbaceous perennial (i.e. not woody) plant rising from a fibrous, perennial root system. The plant normally grows up to 100 mm (4 in) tall but spreads indefinitely by runners (stolons) which root to form new plants as they sprawl along the ground, often forming large colonies over time. The plant is found growing in moist to dry fields, roadsides, gravelly meadows, grassy open slopes, thickets, forest edges, open forests in the lowland to subalpine zones, woodland openings, prairies, limestone glades, roadsides, black soil prairies, hill prairies, bluegrass meadows, small meadows in wooded areas, open woodlands, woodland borders, savannas, limestone glades and areas along railroads. It prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. It tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced when plants grow in such a position.

Leaves

The plant typically consists of several trifoliate leaves at the tips of long hairy petioles. The leaves are green (sometimes bluish-green) on top and pale green underneath. Each mature leaflet can reach to about 7 cm (3 inches) long and 4 cm (1.5 inches) wide; however, they are generally smaller. The leaflets are oval shaped and have coarse teeth along the edge except near the bottom. The terminal tooth (at the very tip) is much smaller in size to the teeth on either side of it and does not extend beyond them. Stems are above ground runners (stolons) that root at tips from which a crown of leaves emerge.

Flowers

The inflorescence is a cluster of small flowers at the top of the flowering scape (an above ground extension of the root), usually held at leaf level or below. The wild strawberries have 5-parted 1/2-3/4 inch flowers with wide white rounded petals that have clawed bases. Plants can vary in having flowers that are functionally bisexual (perfect), functionally staminate (male) or functionally pistillate (female). Flowers have a hairy stalk. There are 5 green pointed sepals placed alternate with the petals and alternating with the sepals are 5 green shorter bractlets. All are slightly hairy. There are numerous stamens with yellow anthers surrounding a blunt central yellow-green receptacle composed of numerous carpels. Multiple small leaflet-like bracts are often present where the flower stalks diverge at the top of the stem. Flowering normally takes place in between April to June.

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Virginia strawberry Image Gallery

Fruits

Afterwards, the flowers are replaced by achene-dotted ovoid fruits (strawberries) when growing conditions are favorable, otherwise they abort. These fruits are up to ½ inches long and across. They are globoid or globoid-ovoid in shape, becoming bright red at maturity. Small seeds are scattered across the surface of these fruits in sunken pits. The persistent sepals and sepal-like bracts are appressed to the upper surface of these fruits. The fleshy interior of these fruits has a sweet-tart flavor and they are edible.

Botanically, the achenes are the true fruits and the red strawberries are actually false fruits (enlarged flower receptacles). Cultivated strawberries found in stores are hybrid crosses between F. virginiana (native to North America) and F. chiloensis (native to western coastal South America including Chile) which combine the excellent taste of the former with the larger fruit size of the latter. Virginia strawberries reproduce both sexually by seed, and asexually by runners (stolons).