Common Name: Scarlet Strawberry

General Information

Fragaria virginiana is a herbaceous perennial plant producing a rosette of leaves from a central rootstock. The plant can be up to 30cm tall and wide, spreading by means of stolons to form large colonies.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and a medicine. It is occasionally cultivated on a garden scale as a food crop.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

, ,

Range

N. America - Alaska to Newfoundland, south to California, Texas and Florida.

Habitat

Moist to dry sites, open forests, forest edges, hedges, fields, meadows, prairies, savannahs, roadsides, railroad embankments, abandoned fields , often ruderal; at elevations up to 3,700 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Perennial
Height	0.20 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

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.
During the growing season new plants are produced on runners - prostrate stems emerging from the leaf axils of mature plants. These runners are used as propagation material[].
Plants usually produce hermaphrodite flowers, though some plants produce flowers of only one sex. In this case, both male and female forms would need to be grown if fruit and seed were required[].
The plants appreciate a mulch of pine or spruce leaves[].
Along with Fragaria 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[].

Edible Uses

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[].

Medicinal

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[, ].

Other Uses

The fruits are used as a tooth cleaner[, ]. They are held in the mouth, or rubbed over the teeth, to remove tartar[].

Propagation

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 mid summer 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.