Fragaria virginiana subsp. virginiana
A North American octoploid Rosaceae plant with trifoliate leaves, white flowers, and small red aggregate fruits, reproducing by seeds and by runners.
Common Names
Virginia Strawberry, Wild Strawberry, Common Strawberry, Scarlet Strawberry, Mountain Strawberry, Thickleaved Wild Strawberry
Summary
Virginia strawberry is a native North American perennial herb that forms a low ground cover through stolons. It has basal trifoliate leaves and white five-petaled flowers, followed by red, fleshy fruits with surface achenes, and it spreads to form colonies in meadows, woodlands, forest edges, roadsides, and other disturbed sites across a broad North American distribution.
It prefers full sun to partial shade and well-drained soils, tolerates a range from dry to moist habitats, and is often used as ground cover in native plantings and restoration, with ecological value for wildlife, providing early nectar for bees and flies and edible fruit for birds and mammals. It propagates by runners and by seeds or division, with fall planting recommended and division typically easier than growing from seed.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
3-8 inches
Spread
18-24 inches
Hardiness Zones
Zones 5a-9b
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally full sun, tolerates partial sun and partial shade.
Soil Type
Well-drained loam to sandy loam soil, fertile and rich in organic matter, kept moist but not waterlogged.
Soil Drainage
Well-drained soil, ideally sandy loam.
Soil pH
5.5-7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Bloom Color
White
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Green on top; pale green beneath.
Fall Foliage Color
Reddish or bronze-red
Leaf Lifecycle
Deciduous
Growth Rate
Moderate
Seasons of Interest
Spring, Summer, Fall
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Runners (stolons), Division, Layering, Cuttings
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, other pollinators, and birds
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Subspecies
- Publication
- Unknown
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Rosales
- Family
- Rosaceae
- Genus
- Fragaria
- Species
- Fragaria virginiana
Synonyms
Fragaria yukonensis Fragaria michauxiana Fragaria serotina Fragaria pumila Fragaria umbelliformis Fragaria ovalis var. quinata Fragaria iowensis Fragaria virginiana Fragaria multicipita Fragaria pauciflora Fragaria sibbaldifolia Fragaria suksdorfii Fragaria truncata Fragaria australis Fragaria canadensis Fragaria elatior Fragaria virginiana f. multicipita Fragaria virginiana var. hybrida Fragaria virginiana f. maliformis Fragaria viridis var. umbelliformis Fragaria virginiana var. australis Fragaria virginiana f. sibbaldifolia Fragaria prolifica Fragaria grandiflora Fragaria odora Fragaria virginiana var. australis Fragaria virginiana var. sibbaldifolia Fragaria virginiana var. canadensis