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''Fragaria'' () is a
genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
of
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants t ...
s in the
rose A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be ...
family,
Rosaceae Rosaceae (), the rose family, is a medium-sized family of flowering plants that includes 4,828 known species in 91 genera. The name is derived from the type genus ''Rosa''. Among the most species-rich genera are '' Alchemilla'' (270), ''Sorb ...
, commonly known as strawberries for their edible
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...
s. There are more than 20 described
species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...
and many hybrids and
cultivar A cultivar is a type of cultivated plant that people have selected for desired traits and when propagated retain those traits. Methods used to propagate cultivars include: division, root and stem cuttings, offsets, grafting, tissue culture ...
s. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the garden strawberry, a hybrid known as ''Fragaria'' × ''ananassa''. Strawberries have a taste that varies by cultivar, and ranges from quite sweet to rather tart. Strawberries are an important commercial fruit crop, widely grown in all temperate regions of the world.


Description

Strawberries are not berries in the botanical sense.Esau, K. 1977. ''Anatomy of seed plants''. John Wiley and Sons, New York. The fleshy and edible part of the "fruit" is a receptacle, and the parts that are sometimes mistakenly called "seeds" are
achene An achene (; ), also sometimes called akene and occasionally achenium or achenocarp, is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate (formed from one carpel) and indehiscent (they do not o ...
s and therefore the true botanical fruits.


Etymology

The genus name derives from ("
strawberry The garden strawberry (or simply strawberry; ''Fragaria × ananassa'') is a widely grown hybrid species of the genus '' Fragaria'', collectively known as the strawberries, which are cultivated worldwide for their fruit. The fruit is widely ap ...
") and , a suffix used to create feminine nouns and
plant name A botanical name is a formal scientific name conforming to the ''International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants'' (ICN) and, if it concerns a plant cultigen, the additional cultivar or Group epithets must conform to the ''Internat ...
s. The Latin name is thought in turn to derive from a
PIE A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients. Sweet pies may be filled with fruit (as in an apple pie), nuts (pecan pie), brown sugar ( sugar pie), sweete ...
root meaning "
berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
". The genus name is sometimes mistakenly derived from ("to be fragrant, to reek"). The English word is found in
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
as ''streawberige''. It is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, though it has been suggested that the word is possibly derived from "strewn berry" in reference to the runners that "strew" or "stray away" from the base of the plants. ''Streaw'' in Old English means 'straw', but also ''streawian'' means 'to strew', from the same root. David Mikkelson argues that "the word 'strawberry' has been part of the English language for at least a thousand years, well before strawberries were cultivated as garden or farm edibles."


Classification

There are more than 20 different ''Fragaria'' species worldwide. A number of other species have been proposed, some of which are now recognized as subspecies. One key to the classification of strawberry species is that they vary in the number of
chromosome A chromosome is a long DNA molecule with part or all of the genetic material of an organism. In most chromosomes the very long thin DNA fibers are coated with packaging proteins; in eukaryotic cells the most important of these proteins ar ...
s. They all have seven basic ''types'' of chromosomes, but exhibit different polyploidy. Some species are diploid, having two sets of the seven chromosomes (14 chromosomes total), but others are tetraploid (four sets, 28 chromosomes total), hexaploid (six sets, 42 chromosomes total), octoploid (eight sets, 56 chromosomes total), or decaploid (ten sets, 70 chromosomes total). As a rough rule (with exceptions), strawberry species with more chromosomes tend to be more robust and produce larger plants with larger berries. The oldest fossils confidently classifiable as ''Fragaria'' are from the
Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...
of Poland. Fossilised ''Fragaria'' achenes are also known from the
Pliocene The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 * ''Fragaria'' × ''bifera'' Duchesne - ''F. vesca'' × ''F. viridis'' (Europe) *''
Fragaria bucharica ''Fragaria'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. There are more than 20 described species and many Hybrid plant, hybrids and cultivars. The most common strawberr ...
'' Losinsk. (China) *''
Fragaria daltoniana ''Fragaria daltoniana'' is a species of strawberry native to the Himalayas. Its fruit has a poor flavor, and is of no commercial value.Fragaria emeiensis'' Jia J. Lei (China) *'' Fragaria gracilis'' Losinsk. (China) *'' Fragaria iinumae'' Makino (East
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...
, Japan) *'' Fragaria mandshurica'' Staudt (China) *'' Fragaria nilgerrensis'' Schlecht. ex J.Gay ( South and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
) *'' Fragaria nipponica''
Makino History Makino was established in 1937 by Tsunezo Makino in Japan, developing Japan's first numerically controlled (NC) milling machine in 1958 and Japan's first machining centre in 1966. The North American branch of Makino was formed thro ...
(
Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic ...
,
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
) *''
Fragaria nubicola ''Fragaria nubicola'' is a species of wild strawberry native to the Himalayas. It is of no commercial value.Lindl. John Lindley FRS (5 February 1799 – 1 November 1865) was an English botanist, gardener and orchidologist. Early years Born in Catton, near Norwich, England, John Lindley was one of four children of George and Mary Lindley. George Lindley ...
ex Lacaita (
Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 10 ...
) *'' Fragaria pentaphylla'' Losinsk. (China) *'' Fragaria vesca'' L. - woodland strawberry (
Northern Hemisphere The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the Equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined as being in the same celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the solar system as Earth's Nort ...
) *'' Fragaria viridis''
Duchesne Duchesne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joseph Duchesne (c. 1544–1609), French physician and chemist. Physician-in-ordinary to King Henry IV *André Duchesne (1584–1640), French historian *François Duchesne (1616–16 ...
(
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
, Central Asia) *'' Fragaria yezoensis'' H.Hara (Northeast Asia)


Tetraploid species

*''
Fragaria moupinensis ''Fragaria moupinensis'' is a species of wild strawberry native to China. It is similar in appearance to '' F. nilgerrensis''. All strawberries have a base monoploid count of 7 chromosomes. ''Fragaria moupinensis'' is tetraploid Polyploid ...
'' Cardot (China) *'' Fragaria orientalis'' Losinsk. (Eastern Asia, Eastern Siberia)


Pentaploid hybrids

* ''Fragaria'' × ''bringhurstii'' Staudt (
coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
of California)


Hexaploid species

*'' Fragaria moschata''
Duchesne Duchesne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joseph Duchesne (c. 1544–1609), French physician and chemist. Physician-in-ordinary to King Henry IV *André Duchesne (1584–1640), French historian *François Duchesne (1616–16 ...
- musk strawberry (Europe)


Octoploid species and hybrids

* ''Fragaria'' × ''ananassa''
Duchesne Duchesne is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Joseph Duchesne (c. 1544–1609), French physician and chemist. Physician-in-ordinary to King Henry IV *André Duchesne (1584–1640), French historian *François Duchesne (1616–16 ...
ex Rozier
- garden strawberry, pineapple strawberry *'' Fragaria chiloensis'' ( L.) Mill. - beach strawberry (Western
Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...
) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''chiloensis'' forma ''chiloensis'' **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''chiloensis'' forma ''patagonica'' (
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
,
Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the eas ...
) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''lucida'' (E. Vilm. ex Gay) Staudt (
coast The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in n ...
of
British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...
,
Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
,
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''pacifica'' Staudt (coast of
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...
, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''sandwicensis'' ( Decne.) Staudt - ''ōhelo papa'' (
Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...
) *'' Fragaria virginiana'' Mill. - Virginia strawberry (
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...
)


Decaploid species and hybrids

*'' Fragaria cascadensis'' K.E. Hummer (Cascade Mountains in
Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
) *'' Fragaria iturupensis''
Staudt Staudt is an ''Ortsgemeinde'' – a community belonging to a ''Verbandsgemeinde'' – in the Westerwaldkreis in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Geography The municipal area lies at elevations from 260 to 285 m above sea level. The commun ...
- Iturup strawberry ( Iturup,
Kuril Islands The Kuril Islands or Kurile Islands (; rus, Кури́льские острова́, r=Kuril'skiye ostrova, p=kʊˈrʲilʲskʲɪjə ɐstrɐˈva; Japanese language, Japanese: or ) are a volcanic archipelago currently administered as part of Sakh ...
) * ''Fragaria'' × ''Comarum'' hybrids *'' Fragaria × vescana''


Uncategorized hybrids

*'Lipstick' (''Fragaria'' × ''Comarum'' hybrid), red-flowered runnering ornamental, sparse small globular fruits. *'' Fragaria vesca'' and certain other diploid species can be hybridized and produce fertile offspring (although '' Fragaria nilgerrensis'' appears less compatible). *'' Fragaria moschata'' can hybridize with diploid species such as '' Fragaria viridis'' and ''
Fragaria nubicola ''Fragaria nubicola'' is a species of wild strawberry native to the Himalayas. It is of no commercial value.Fragaria moschata'' can hybridize with ''Fragaria'' × ''ananassa''.


Ecology

A number of species of butterflies and
moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...
s feed on strawberry plants: see list of Lepidoptera that feed on strawberry plants.


See also

* Accessory fruit *
Mock strawberry ''Potentilla indica'', known commonly as mock strawberry, Indian-strawberry, or false strawberry, often referred to as a backyard strawberry, mainly in North America, is a flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It has foliage and an aggregate ac ...
(''Duchesnea''/''Potentilla'' ''indica'') and
barren strawberry Barren strawberry is a common name for several plants which may refer to: * ''Potentilla ''Potentilla'' is a genus containing over 300Guillén, A., et al. (2005)Reproductive biology of the Iberian species of ''Potentilla'' L. (Rosaceae).''Anale ...
(''Potentilla sterilis'', ''Waldsteinia fragarioides'') are closely related species in other genera which resemble ''Fragaria''. * Strawberry tree (disambiguation) is a name for several trees that are unrelated to strawberry. * The breeding of strawberries


References


Further reading

* Hogan, Sean (chief consultant) (2003), ''Flora: A Gardener's Encyclopedia'', Portland, Oregon: Timber Press. .


External links


Species records in the database (for the query: genus = ''Fragaria'')
from the
U.S. National Plant Germplasm System The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
website {{Authority control Berries Stoloniferous plants Rosaceae genera