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Fragaria vesca

Common name: Wild Strawberry Family: Rosaceae
Author: L. Botanical references: 17, 200
Synonyms:  
Known Hazards: None known
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[9, 17].
Edibility Rating (1-5): 3Medicinal Rating (1-5):3

Other Possible Synonyms:From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
F. insularis[G]
Other Common Names:From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
Alpine Strawberry [H], Bosaardbei [D], Cilek [E], Erdbeer [E], Fraise [E], Fraise Des Bois [E], Fraises [E], Fraises Des Bois [H], Fraisier [E], Fresa [E], Perpetual Strawberry [H], Strawberry [H], Wild Strawberry [L,H], Wood Strawberry [H], Woodland Strawberry [H,P,B],
Epithets:From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
vesca = little;
Systematics:From a USDA Plants Database
Order: Rosales. Rose family
Other Range Info: From the Ethnobotany Database
Canada(Salish); Dominican Republic; Germany; Haiti; Kashmir; Mexico; Spain; Turkey

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.25m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 5 and is not frost tender. It is in flower from April to July, and the seeds ripen from May to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees, flies and Lepidoptera (Moths & Butterflies). We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Sunny Edge, Dappled Shade, Shady Edge.

Edible Uses

Coffee; Fruit; Leaves; Tea.

Fruit - raw, cooked or made into preserves[2, 12, 101, 183]. Sweet and succulent. An exquisite flavour but the fruits are usually very small and fiddly[53, 132], though they can be up to 10mm in diameter[200]. Rich in iron and potassium, the fruit is an excellent addition to the diet of people suffering from anaemia[244].
Young leaves - raw or cooked[52, 105]. Added to salads or used as a potherb[183].
The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute[7, 177, 183, 257]. A delicious drink, it is ideal for children[244].
The root has been used as a coffee substitute in India[240].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent; Diuretic; Laxative; Tonic.

The leaves and the fruit are mildly astringent, diuretic, laxative and tonic[4, 9, 222, 254]. The leaves are mainly used, though the fruits are an excellent food to take when feverish and are also effective in treating rheumatic gout[4]. A slice of strawberry is also excellent when applied externally to sunburnt skin[4]. A tea made from the leaves is a blood tonic and has been used as a treatment for diarrhoea in adults and children[222, 257]. It is used in the treatment of chilblains[53] and also as an external wash on sunburn[222]. A poultice can be made from the powdered leaves mixed in oil, it is used to treat open sores[257]. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use[238].
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[244].
The roots are astringent and diuretic[4, 222]. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and chronic dysentery[4, 244, 257]. Externally it is used to treat chilblains and as a throat gargle[244]. The roots are harvested in the autumn and dried for later use[238].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

Cosmetic; Teeth.

The fruit is used as a tooth cleaner[4]. The fresh fruit removes stains from teeth if it is allowed to remain for about 5 minutes[4].
The fruit is also used cosmetically in skin-care creams[7]. It tones and whitens the skin, combats wrinkles, lightens freckles, soothes sunburn and whitens the teeth[244].

Cultivation details

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].

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[200]. 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.

Suppliers

Plants For A Future is working with the following groups to try and make these plants easily available. Parts of the proceeds will be donated to   so please mention us when ordering.
Cool Temperate Nurseries
10 Ivy Grove
Nottingham
NG7 7LZ
Email: philcorbett53@hotmail.com
Phone 0115 847 8302 Fax 0115 847 8302
Distribution: UK
How to order: Direct from Cool Temperate by email/phone
Notes: Many Trees supplied on their own rootstock
Last Updated: April 03
Item: Fragaria vesca (Wild strawberry)
Item: Fragaria (Chillean Strawberry)

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

References for fragaria vesca (a possible synonym).

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[7] Chiej. R. Encyclopaedia of Medicinal Plants. MacDonald 1984 ISBN 0-356-10541-5
Covers plants growing in Europe. Also gives other interesting information on the plants. Good photographs.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[12] Loewenfeld. C. and Back. P. Britain's Wild Larder. David and Charles ISBN 0-7153-7971-2
A handy pocket guide.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[53] De. Bray. L. The Wild Garden.
Interesting reading.

[101] Turner. N. J. and Szczawinski. A. Edible Wild Fruits and Nuts of Canada. National Museum of Natural Sciences 1978
A very readable guide to some wild foods of Canada.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth.
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[257] Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998 ISBN 0-88192-453-9
Very comprehensive but terse guide to the native uses of plants. Excellent bibliography, fully referenced to each plant, giving a pathway to further information. Not for the casual reader.

Readers Comments

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