Fragaria vesca, commonly called wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry, European strawberry, or fraisier des bois, is a perennialherbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits.
Description
Five to eleven soft, hairy white flowers are borne on a green, soft-hairy stalk that usually lifts them above the leaves. The light-green leaves are trifoliate with toothed margins. The plant spreads mostly by means of runners, but the seeds are viable and establish new populations.
Taxonomy
makes a distinction between wild or wood strawberries and alpine strawberries, a distinction which is not made by most seed companies or nurseries, which usually sell Fragaria vesca as "alpine strawberry". Under wild or wood strawberry, Vilmorin says: Under alpine strawberry, Vilmorin says:
Subspecies
Fragaria vesca ssp. americana Staudt
Fragaria vesca ssp. bracteata Staudt
Fragaria vesca ssp. vesca L.
Fragaria vesca ssp. semperflorens L.
Ecology
Typical habitat is along trails and roadsides, embankments, hillsides, stone- and gravel-laid paths and roads, meadows, young woodlands, sparse forest, woodland edges, and clearings. Often plants can be found where they do not get sufficient light to form fruit. In the southern part of its range, it can only grow in shady areas; further north it tolerates more sun. It is tolerant of a variety of moisture levels. It can survive mild fires and/or establish itself after fires. Although F. vesca primarily propagates via runners, viable seeds are also found in soil seed banks and seem to germinate when the soil is disturbed. Its leaves serve as significant food source for a variety of ungulates, such as mule deer and elk, and the fruit are eaten by a variety of mammals and birds that also help to distribute the seeds in their droppings. It is a larval host to the two-banded checkered skipper.
The genome of Fragaria vesca was sequenced in 2010. All strawberry species have a base haploid count of seven chromosomes; Fragaria vesca is diploid, having two pairs of these chromosomes for a total of 14.
History, cultivation and uses
Evidence from archaeological excavations suggests that Fragaria vesca has been consumed by humans since the Stone Age. Woodland strawberry fruit is strongly flavored, and is still collected and grown for domestic use and on a small scale commercially for the use of gourmets and as an ingredient for commercial jam, sauces, liqueurs, cosmetics and alternative medicine. In Turkey, hundreds of tons of wild fruit are harvested annually, mainly for export. The Ottoman strawberry was once cultivated in large quantities in the Arnavutköy neighbourhood of Istanbul. It is also grown extensively near the town of Karadeniz Ereğli in Zonguldak province, Turkey. A festival to celebrate the Ottoman strawberry is held at Karadeniz Ereğli in June each year. Most of the cultivated varieties have a long flowering period. They are usually called alpine strawberries. They either form runners or multiple crowns in a cluster, fruit over a very long period with larger fruit than the common wood strawberry, and are usually propagated by seeds or division of the plants. The type in cultivation is usually everbearing and produces few runners. Plants tend to lose vigour after a few years due to their abundant fruiting and flowering with final decline caused by viral diseases. Large-fruiting forms are known since the 18th century and were called "Fressant" in France. Some cultivars have fruit that are white or yellow when fully ripe, instead of the normal red. Cultivars that form stolons are often used as groundcover, while cultivars that do not may be used as border plants. Some cultivars are bred for their ornamental value. Hybrids, Fragaria × vescana, have been created from crosses between woodland strawberry and garden strawberry. Hybrids between the woodland strawberry and the European species Fragaria viridis were in cultivation until around 1850, but are now lost. Alpine strawberry has an undeserved reputation among home gardeners as hard to grow from seed, often with rumors of long and sporadic germination times, cold pre-chilling requirements, etc. In reality, with proper handling of the very small seeds, 80% germination rates at 1–2 weeks are easily achievable. Alpine strawberries are sometimes included as edging plants in herbaceous borders.
Garden varieties currently in cultivation
;Seed-propagated:
Rügen, the first modern cultivar, i.e., runnerless, everbearing and large fruited — originating from Castle Putbus in Germany, first offered 1920 by the strawberry grower Emil Spangenberg from Morsleben.
Baron Solemacher, first offered 1935 by F. C. Heinemann, Germany
Weisse Solemacher first offered by F. C. Heinemann
Golden Alexandria.
;Cultivars: Forms with runners are still found in old gardens.
Quarantaine de Prin, France; commercially important before World War I, but now almost extinct; maybe identical to the variety Erigée de Poitou which was still offered around 1960.
Blanc Amélioré, Great Britain; white-fruited; it is doubtful if the clone in circulation today is identical to the historical variety from around 1900 because of its non-everbearing habit; nevertheless a good variety with rather large, sometimes monstruous fruit of the Fressant type.
Illa Martin, Germany; sold as an ornamental, white-fruited. Red achenes have been reported but have not been found. Most plants in circulation not true to name.
Gartenfreude, Germany; large-fruited form, sometimes very large monstrous fruit of the Fressant type.
Curious mutations have arisen and are sometimes grown by plantsmen and other connoisseurs of the unusual:
Monophylla - Vilmorin-Andrieux stated as being raised by Duchesne.
