Strawberries and allies
What are they?
Strawberries are the fruit of summer; famously eaten at Wimbledon with cream and part of the culture of the day out to the 'pick your own' farm. These plants are members of the Rose family (Rosaceae) and have white, five-petalled flowers that are typical of the group. They are mostly low-growing perennials but one woody shrub, Shrubby Cinquefoil, is also included here as it sometimes has white flowers and these are very similar to those of strawberries. In the true strawberries, the flowers are followed by the famous red fruits.
Where are they found?
Native species are found in old, undisturbed grassland or shady lanes and clearings in woodland. Introduced species are more likely to be found close to roads or human habitation.
Identification
This is a small group of plants so identification is generally not too difficult. Check the shape of the petals carefully, the appearance of the fruits and details of the leaf tip. If you have a plant with strawberry fruits but no flowers, it is worth also checking Yellow-flowered Strawberry.
Wild Strawberry Fragaria vesca
Native. Widespread and common in woods and shady roadsides throughout much of the region, less common on sandy soils. Flowers April to July. Smaller in all its parts than Garden Strawberry and with hairs on the upper flower stalks closely pressed to the stem. Differs from Barren Strawberry in its petals that are longest at their mid-line, with rounded or even slightly pointed tips (rarely irregularly notched). The central lobe of the central leaflet is slightly longer than the lobes either side of it, giving a pointed tip to the leaf. The fruits have the seeds not sunken into the surface.
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Garden Strawberry Fragaria ananassa
Introduced as a commercial fruit, having originated as a hybrid in cultivation in France. Flowers April to July. Larger in all its parts than Wild Strawberry and with more or less hairless undersides to the leaves. The fruits have the seeds clearly sunken into the surface.
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Barren Strawberry Potentilla sterilis
Native. Widespread and common in grassy places on heavier soils and often a feature of old churchyards. Flowers March to May. A cinquefoil with trifoliate leaves and not a true strawberry, which is apparent when its dry, fleshless fruits appear. Flowers have squared off or only slightly rounded petals with a clear and regular notch at the tip; the petals also typically are relatively narrow, leaving obvious gaps between them that clearly reveal the sepals beneath. The central lobe of the central leaflet is slightly shorter than the lobes either side of it, giving a rounded tip to the leaf and the leaves are white-hairy beneath.
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Shrubby Cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa
A rare native of northern England (though widespread in northern temperate regions of the world) and only occurs in East Anglia as an occasional garden escape or where surviving from original plantings. Flowers June to July. Differs from all other species on this page in being a thickly branched, deciduous shrub growing to a metre in height. Native plants in the UK have golden-yellow flowers but garden forms may also have pale yellow, orange or white flowers. Petals rounded and not notched or pointed at the tip.
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