Plant Details

Fragaria virginiana

Virginia Strawberry

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Wild Strawberry is a low-growing native perennial whose spreading runners form a dense, soil-holding groundcover and yield sweet edible...

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Description:

Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) is a low-growing, flowering perennial in the rose family’s genus Fragaria, known for its sweet, edible berries. It typically stays close to the ground, reaching only about 5 inches tall and spreading up to 2 feet wide through above-ground runners, forming a dense, living mat. This habit makes it a practical native groundcover, and its network of roots and runners helps anchor soil on slopes, giving it a useful role in erosion control.

The species is native to much of North America, ranging from Newfoundland and Alberta in Canada south through Georgia, Tennessee, and Oklahoma in the United States. Its genus name, Fragaria, likely traces to the Latin fraga, derived from fragrans (“fragrant”), a nod to the fruit’s pleasant aroma. The species name, virginiana, honors Virginia, where botanists first described the species.

Plant information adapted from the NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox.

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