Scarlet Strawberry, Virginia strawberry
Fragaria virginiana

Family: Rosaceae

What it is like

Fragaria virginiana is a PERENNIAL growing to 0.3 m (1ft). See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 3 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to May, and the seeds ripen from June to July. The species is hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and is pollinated by Insects. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 0.3

Where it is found

Fields, open slopes and woodland edges.

Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to South Dakota, south to Florida and Oklahoma.

Conservation Status:

Countries/locations it is found in

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

Fruit - raw, cooked or made into preserves. Sweet and succulent. Small but delicious. The fruit is up to 20mm in diameter. The dried leaves are a very pleasant tea substitute. Rich in vitamin C.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The whole plant is antiseptic, astringent, emmenagogue, galactogogue and odontalgic. It has been used to regulate the menstrual cycle. A tea made from the leaves has been used as a nerve tonic and is slightly astringent. A poultice made from the dried powdered leaves mixed with oil has been used to treat open sores. A tea made from the roots is diuretic. It has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea, irregular menses, gonorrhoea, stomach and lung ailments.

Antiseptic: Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

Emmenagogue: Promotes or increases the menstrual flow. In early stages of pregnancy it can induce an abortion.

Galactogogue: Promotes the flow of milk in a nursing mother.

Odontalgic: Treats toothache (temporary measure only) and other problems of the teeth and gums.

Poultice: A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.

Vitamin C: Plants good for their vitamin C content

Other

Rating: 2

The fruits are used as a tooth cleaner. They are held in the mouth, or rubbed over the teeth, to remove tartar. A dynamic accumulator gathering minerals or nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form - used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Teeth: Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.

Dynamic accumulator: Plants that gather minerals or nutrients from the soil and store them in a more bioavailable form and in high concentration in their tissues. Used as fertilizer or to improve mulch.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

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. The plants appreciate a mulch of pine or spruce leaves. Along with F, chiloensis, this species is probably a parent of the cultivated strawberries. The cultivar 'Little Scarlet' is a form of this species and this is still occasionally cultivated for its fruit in Britain. For polyculture design as well as the above-ground architecture (form - tree, shrub etc. and size shown above) information on the habit and root pattern is also useful and given here if available. An evergreen. The plant growth habit is a runner spreading indefinitely by rhizomes or stolons. The root pattern is fibrous dividing into a large number of fine roots. The root pattern is stoloniferous rooting from creeping stems above the ground.

Propagating it: Seed - sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed can take 4 weeks or more to germinate. The seedlings are very small and slow-growing at first, but then grow rapidly. Prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out during the summer. Division of runners, preferably done in July/August in order to allow the plants to become established for the following years crop. They can also be moved in the following spring if required, though should not then be allowed to fruit in their first year. The runners can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.

Best place to grow: Woodland Garden Sunny Edge; Dappled Shade; Cultivated Beds;

Habit: Perennial

Hardiness: 3-7

Growth:

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

F. glauca(S. Wats.)Rydb.