Interesting Plant: Alpine Strawberries (Fragaria vesca)

We are always looking for more food items to grow, even here in our somewhat shady garden, so when I saw these strawberries they intrigued me. While we have a few pots of hybrid strawberries, I wonder if these might not be a better choice for our particular conditions. This is only the beginning of my research. — Douglas

Interesting Plant: Alpine Strawberries (Fragaria vesca)

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Fragaria vesca, commonly called wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian Strawberry, European strawberry, or fraisier des bois, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits.[1][2]

Vilmorin-Andrieux (1885) makes a distinction between wild or wood strawberries (Fragaria vesca) and alpine strawberries (Fragaria alpina),[6] 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:

It has seldom been seen in gardens since the introduction of the Red Alpine Strawberry. … Wood Strawberry possesses a quite particular perfume and delicacy of flavour. 2,500 seeds to the gramme.

Under alpine strawberry, Vilmorin says:

A very different plant to the Wood Strawberry, and distinguished by the greater size of all its parts — the fruit in particular — and especially by the property (which is particular to it) of producing flowers and fruit continuously all through the summer. … The fruit has nearly the same appearance and flavour as that of the Wood Strawberry, but is generally larger, longer, and more pointed in shape. The seed is also perceptibly larger and longer. A gramme contains only about 1,500 seeds. — Wikipedia

More information on Cupressus cashmeriana :

Alpine Strawberry Seeds
 
 

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Interesting Plant is a series from A Gardener’s Notebook blog and podcast that highlights the most interesting plants I find in my Internet and real-world travels — Douglas

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