Fragaria vesca
| Fragaria vesca | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 5 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Mid Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Fragaria vesca (common name: wild strawberry)
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 July/August in order to allow the plants to become established for the following years crop[1]. 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.
Cultivation: Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced. Succeeds on acid and alkaline soils. Likes a mulch of pine or spruce leaves.
Does well on woodland edges.
Plants spread rapidly by means of runners[K].
Range: Most of Europe, including Britain, to temperate Asia.
Habitat: Woods, grassland and scrub, on basic soils, sometimes becoming locally dominant in wods on calcareous soils[2][3].
Edibility: Fruit - raw, cooked or made into preserves[4][5][6][7]. Sweet and succulent. An exquisite flavour but the fruits are usually very small and fiddly[8][9], though they can be up to 10mm in diameter[1]. Rich in iron and potassium, the fruit is an excellent addition to the diet of people suffering from anaemia[10].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[11][12]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[7].
The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[13][14][7][15]. A delicious drink, it is ideal for children[10].
The root has been used as a coffee substitute in India[16].
Medicinal: The leaves and the fruit are mildly astringent, diuretic, laxative and tonic[17][2][18][19]. The leaves are mainly used, though the fruits are an excellent food to take when feverish and are also effective in treating rheumatic gout[17]. A slice of strawberry is also excellent when applied externally to sunburnt skin[17]. A tea made from the leaves is a blood tonic and has been used as a treatment for diarrhoea in adults and children[18][15]. It is used in the treatment of chilblains[8] and also as an external wash on sunburn[18]. A poultice can be made from the powdered leaves mixed in oil, it is used to treat open sores[15]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[20].
The fruits contain salicylic acid and are beneficial in the treatment of liver and kidney complaints, as well as in the treatment of rheumatism and gout[10].
The roots are astringent and diuretic[17][18]. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and chronic dysentery[17][10][15]. Externally it is used to treat chilblains and as a throat gargle[10]. The roots are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[20].
Usage: The fruit is used as a tooth cleaner[17]. The fresh fruit removes stains from teeth if it is allowed to remain for about 5 minutes[17].
The fruit is also used cosmetically in skin-care creams[13]. It tones and whitens the skin, combats wrinkles, lightens freckles, soothes sunburn and whitens the teeth[10].
Pollinators: Bees, flies, lepidoptera
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Spring-Early Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Launert, Edmund. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn, 1981.
- ↑ Clapham, Arthur and Tom Tootin, Edmund Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press, 1962.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Loewenfeld, Claire and Philippa Back. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 de Bray, Lys. The Wild Garden.
- ↑ Corbetta, Francisco. The COmplete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 Phillips, Roger. Herbs. Pan Books, 1990.
- ↑ Larkcom, Joy. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn, 1980.
- ↑ Tanaka, Tyōzaburō. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing, 1976.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Chiej, Roberto. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald, 1984.
- ↑ Kunkel, Günther. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books, 1984.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Chopra, R. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants. Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi, 1986.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 17.6 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.