Fragaria virginiana
| Fragaria virginiana | |
| Light: |   |
| Moisture: |  |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 1' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Fragaria virginiana (common name: scarlet 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[2][1]. 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[3].
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[4].
Range: Eastern N. America - Newfoundland to South Dakota, south to Florida and Oklahoma.
Habitat: Fields, open slopes and woodland edges[5].
Edibility: Fruit - raw, cooked or made into preserves[6][2][7][8]. Sweet and succulent. Small but delicious[9]. The fruit is up to 20mm in diameter[1].
The dried leaves are a very pleasant tea substitute[10][11][8]. Rich in vitamin C[9].
Medicinal: The whole plant is antiseptic, astringent, emmenagogue, galactogogue and odontalgic[12]. It has been used to regulate the menstrual cycle[12].
A tea made from the leaves has been used as a nerve tonic and is slightly astringent[13].
A poultice made from the dried powdered leaves mixed with oil has been used to treat open sores[14].
A tea made from the roots is diuretic[13]. It has been used in the treatment of diarrhoea, irregular menses, gonorrhoea, stomach and lung ailments[13][14].
Usage: The fruits are used as a tooth cleaner[10][11]. They are held in the mouth, or rubbed over the teeth, to remove tartar[14].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Early Summer-Mid Summer
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: F. glauca(S. Wats.)Rydb.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Vilmorin-Andrieux. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press.
- ↑ Philbrick, Helen and Richard Gregg. Companion Plants. Watkins, 1979.
- ↑ Roach, Frederick. Cultivated Fruits of Britain. Oxford University Press, 1985.
- ↑ Lyndon, Merritt. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co, 1950.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences, 1978.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 McPherson, Alan and Sue McPherson. Wild Food Plants of Indiana. Indiana University Press, 1977.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Harris, Ben. Eat the Weeds. Pivot Health, 1973.
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Elias, Thomas. A Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants. Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1982.
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.