Fragaria vesca 'Wild Strawberry'

[Ex. Co. Durham, 60m., England]

Rosaceae: low perennial to 30cm with long, rooting runners. Found growing in dry, grassy places and woodland. The flowers are 12-18mm across, with 5 white petals, blooming from April-July. The fruit are tiny compared to garden varieties, but are much sweeter. The leaves comprise of 3 oval, toothed leaflets that are hairy beneath. Widespread and fairly common. Native to most of Europe, including Britain, to temperate Asia.

USES:

The fruit is eaten raw, cooked or can be made into preserves, they are sweet and succulent with an exquisite taste, they are far superior to the cultivated strawberry. The fruit is fairly small, up to 15mm in diameter, but it is produced abundantly from early summer until the frosts of autumn. The young leaves can be used raw or cooked, and added to salads or used as a potherb. The fresh or dried leaves are used as a tea substitute.

The leaves and the fruit are astringent, diuretic, laxative and tonic. The leaves are mainly used, though the fruits are an excellent food to take when feverish and are also effective in treating rheumatic gout. A slice of strawberry is also excellent when applied externally to sunburnt skin. A tea made from the leaves is a blood tonic. It is used in the treatment of chilblains and also as an external wash on sunburn. The leaves are harvested in the summer and dried for later use. The fruits contain salicylic acid and are beneficial in the treatment of liver and kidney complaints, as well as in the treatment of rheumatism and gout. The roots are astringent and diuretic. A decoction is used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea and chronic dysentery. Externally it is used to treat chilblains and as a throat gargle.

GROWING INFORMATION:

Surface sow seed in 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.

HARVESTED: 

APPROX. 100+ SEEDS