Practical
Plants

Duchesnea indica

Mock Strawberry

a perennial evergreen member of the Duchesnea genus in the family Rosaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Rosaceae
Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Growth rate
vigorous
Height
0.1 m
Spread
1 m
Fertility
Self fertile, Insects
Flower type
hermaphrodite
Pollinators
Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw[2][6]. Dry and insipid[4]. Certainly rather tasteless, but it is not dry[K]. A flavour somewhat like a water melon according to some people, but this is possibly the product of a strained imagination[K].The fruit contains about 3.4% sugar, 1.5% protein, 1.6% ash[10]. Vitamin C is 6.3mg per 100ml of juice[10]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter with the appearance and texture of a strawberry but very little flavour[K]. A clump 2.5m² yields about 150g of fruit annually[10]. Leaves - cooked[8].

Plant part
Fruit
Plant part
Leaves

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

The whole plant is anticoagulant, antiseptic, depurative and febrifuge[3][7]. It can be used in decoction or the fresh leaves can be crushed and applied externally as a poultice[3]. It is used in the treatment of boils and abscesses, weeping eczema, ringworm, stomatitis, laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, snake and insect bites and traumatic injuries[3]. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of swellings[3][7][15]. An infusion of the flowers is used to activate the blood circulation[15]. The fruit is used to cure skin diseases[15]. A decoction of the plant is used as a poultice for abscesses, boils, burns etc[15].

Product or use
Anticoagulant
Product or use
Antiphlogistic
Product or use
Antiseptic
Product or use
Depurative
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Skin

Material uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A good ground cover plant, spreading quickly[11] by means of runners[14]. It is rather bare in winter though[K] and should not be grown with small plants since it will drown them out[13]. A good cover for bulbous plants[14].

Ecology and functions

Ecosystem niche
Soil surface

Ground cover

Environment

Range
E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas. An occasional garden escape in Britain[4].
Habitat
Shady places in woods, grassy slopes, ravines in low mountains, all over Japan[17].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
light shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 6+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 weeks or more at 15°c. A period of cold stratification may speed up germination. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division of runners in spring or late summer. Very easy, they can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position[5]. Plants are at their best in semi-shade, though they are not too fussy[14] and can succeed in quite dense shade[13][14]. They also grow well in a rock garden[1]. Plants are hardy to about -20°c[12]. A very ornamental plant[1] but it can be invasive, spreading freely by means of runners[9]. Plants are more or less evergreen, though they can be browned by severe frosts[14]. Plants sometimes self-sow in British gardens[14].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

    ↩

  3. ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  4. Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962-00-00

    ↩1↩2

  5. Bird. R. (Editor) Focus on Plants. Volume 5. (formerly 'Growing from seed') Thompson and Morgan. 1991-00-00

    ↩

  6. Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169

    ↩

  7. Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre

    ↩1↩2

  8. Reid. B. E. Famine Foods of the Chiu-Huang Pen-ts'ao. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 1977-00-00

    ↩

  9. Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Perennials Volumes 1 and 2. Pan Books 1991-00-00 ISBN 0-330-30936-9

    ↩

  10. Parmar. C. and Kaushal. M.K. Wild Fruits of the Sub-Himalayan Region. Kalyani Publishers. New Delhi. 1982-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3

  11. Royal Horticultural Society. Ground Cover Plants. Cassells. 1989-00-00 ISBN 0-304-31089-1

    ↩

  12. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩

  13. Thomas. G. S. Plants for Ground Cover J. M. Dent & Sons 1990-00-00 ISBN 0-460-12609-1

    ↩1↩2

  14. Matthews. V. The New Plantsman. Volume 1, 1994. Royal Horticultural Society 1994-00-00 ISBN 1352-4186

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4↩5↩6

  15. Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985-00-00 ISBN 0-917256-20-4

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  16. Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/

  17. Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965-00-00

    ↩

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