home

Fragaria vesca - Wild Strawberry

Phylum: Magnoliophyta - Class: Equisetopsida - Order: Rosales - Family: Rosaceae

Fragaria vesca, Wild Strawberry, in flower

Because of their habit of nestling among taller plants and grasses, it is not always easy to spot Wild Strawberries, whether they are in flower or bearing bright red fruits.

European (Wild) Strawberry is sometimes referred to as Alpine Strawberry, despite the fact that this low-growing wildflower with a head for heights has its feet firmly on the ground - Fragaria vesca an be found right down to sea level, where it grows on some coastal cliffs.

Wild Strawberry fruits

Description

The lovely five-petalled flowers produce bright red fruits each with some 150 or more seeds on their outer surfaces. Slugs, mice and many other creatures enjoy the fruits and spread the seeds (strictly called achenes). Clones of a plant are produced from rooting nodes on runners, so that Wild Strawberries often create impressive patches - great for those with the patience to collect these tiny tasty treats.

Distribution

Wild Strawberries are very common throughout Britain and Ireland, and Fragaria vesca is sometimes referred to as the European Strawberry because its range also includes most parts of mainland Europe. This perennial is native to many other regions of the northern hemisphere including much of Asia, North America and South America.

Habitat

Wild Strawberry fruits, Bulgaria

Hedgerows and dry grassy banks are good places to look for Wild Strawberries; they also grow in shady woodlands, where the fruits rarely ripen.

Blooming Times

The flowers of Wild Strawberry appear in spring and early summer, with the fruits ripening from July onwards.

Uses

It will come as no surprise to hear that Wild Strawberry has been sought as a source of food down the ages. The flavour of these tiny strawberries is very sweet and intense when they are ripe - we consider them to be even better than the cultivated ones. Alpine Strawberries are much prized in northern and central Europe, including Slovenia and Bulgaria, where they are used to make preserves and fruit sauces which are particularly good with ice cream.

Etymology

Fragaria, the genus name, is the Latin word for strawberry (and Fragum is the Latin word for fruit). The specific epithet vesca is also Latin and means small or thin.

Similar Species

Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis produces strawberry-like flowers but no edible fruits.

The pictures of Wild Strawberries shown on this page were taken in West Wales in April (the flowers) and in June in Slovenia (the ripe fruit).

Sue Parker's latest ebook is a revised and enlarged edition of Wild Orchids in The Burren. Full details here...

Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...


Wildflowers in the Algarve, an introductory guide, by Sue Parker

Sue Parker's latest ebook is a revised and enlarged second edition of the acclaimed Wildflowers in the Algarve - an introductory guide. Full details here...

Buy it for just £3.95 on Amazon...

Sue Parker's new ebook is a comprehensive and fully revised edition of her acclaimed field guide to the Wild Orchids of Wales. Full details here...

Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...

Sue Parker's 5-star acclaimed field guide to the Wild Orchids of the Algarve is now available as an ebook. Full details here...

Buy it for just £5.95 on Amazon...


Please Help Us: If you have found this information interesting and useful, please consider helping to keep First Nature online by making a small donation towards the web hosting and internet costs.

Any donations over and above the essential running costs will help support the conservation work of Plantlife, the Rivers Trust and charitable botanic gardens - as do author royalties and publisher proceeds from books by Pat and Sue.

© 1995 - 2024 First Nature: a not-for-profit volunteer-run resource

Please help to keep this free resource online...

Terms of use - Privacy policy - Disable cookies - Links policy