Fragaria orientalis — Practical Plants

Taxonomy and growth

Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Fragaria
Life cycle: perennial
Height: 0.2 m
Fertility: Insects
Flower type: hermaphrodite
Pollinators: Insects

Uses

Edible uses

Fruit - raw^[1]^[2]. Sweet and succulent. The fruit is about 5mm wide^[5].

Plant part: Fruit

Environment

Range: E. Asia - Eastern Siberia.
Habitat: Forests and open slopes, especially on stony surfaces^[6]. Meadows on mountain slope, in the shade of forest trees at elevations of 600 - 4000 metres^[5].
Light: full sun
Shade tolerance: light shade
Water: moderate
Soil textures: sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH: acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage: well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil: No
Drought: intolerant

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^[4]. 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^[4]. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced. Plants like a mulch of pine or spruce leaves^[3]. A vigorous plant, spreading quickly by means of runners[K]. Plants flower freely with us, but have not as yet fruited at our Cornwall trial ground, possibly because they are all one clone[K].

Fragaria bracteataWoodland Strawberry
Fragaria californicaCalifornian Strawberry
Fragaria chiloensisBeach Strawberry
Fragaria daltoniana

References

Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00
↩
Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984-00-00 ISBN 3874292169
↩
Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979-00-00
↩
Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
↩1 ↩2
Flora of China 1994-00-00 http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
- Flora of China
↩1 ↩2
Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968-00-00
↩