''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 ...

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 th ...

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, 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 particu ...

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 appropriate s ...

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 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 ...

, 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 achenes and therefore the true botanical fruits.

Etymology

The genus name derives from (" strawberry") and , a suffix used to create feminine nouns and plant names. The Latin name is thought in turn to derive from a PIE root meaning " berry". 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 c ...

as ''streawberige''. It is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a

mulch A mulch is a layer of material applied to the surface of soil. Reasons for applying mulch include conservation of soil moisture, improving fertility and health of the soil, reducing weed growth and enhancing the visual appeal of the area. A mu ...

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 are ...

s. They all have seven basic ''types'' of chromosomes, but exhibit different

polyploidy Polyploidy is a condition in which the biological cell, cells of an organism have more than one pair of (Homologous chromosome, homologous) chromosomes. Most species whose cells have Cell nucleus, nuclei (eukaryotes) are diploid, meaning they ha ...

. 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 epoch (geology), 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 mea ...

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 viridis fruit - Keila

* ''Fragaria'' × ''bifera'' Duchesne - ''F. vesca'' × ''F. viridis'' (Europe) *'' Fragaria bucharica'' Losinsk. (China) *'' Fragaria daltoniana'' J.Gay (Himalayas) * '' 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-eig ...

, 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 mainlan ...

) *'' Fragaria nipponica'' Makino (

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 o ...

, Japan) *''

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 ''Fragaria pentaphylla'' is a tetraploid species of wild strawberry native to China. In Chinese, it is called the "five-leaf strawberry" (). Description Usually 6–15 cm tall, this species usually blooms around April to May, the fruits ...

'' Losinsk. (China) *'' Fragaria vesca'' L. - woodland strawberry ( Northern Hemisphere) *'' 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� ...

(

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 subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

, Central Asia) *'' Fragaria yezoensis'' H.Hara (Northeast Asia)

Tetraploid species

*'' Fragaria moupinensis'' 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 ...

of California)

Hexaploid species

*'' Fragaria moschata''

- musk strawberry (Europe)

Octoploid species and hybrids

* ''Fragaria'' × ''ananassa''

ex Rozier - garden strawberry, pineapple strawberry *''

Fragaria chiloensis ''Fragaria chiloensis'', the beach strawberry, Chilean strawberry, or coastal strawberry, is one of two species of wild strawberry that were hybridized to create the modern garden strawberry (''F. × ananassa''). It is native to the Pacific Oc ...

'' ( L.) Mill. - beach strawberry (Western

Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. Along with th ...

) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''chiloensis'' forma ''chiloensis'' **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''chiloensis'' forma ''patagonica'' (Argentina, Chile) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''lucida'' (E. Vilm. ex Gay) Staudt (

of British Columbia, Washington (state), Washington, Oregon, California) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''pacifica'' Staudt (coast of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California) **''Fragaria chiloensis'' subsp. ''sandwicensis'' (Joseph Decaisne, Decne.) Staudt - ''ōhelo papa'' (Hawaii, Hawaii) *''Fragaria virginiana'' Philip Miller, Mill. - Virginia strawberry (North America)

Decaploid species and hybrids

*''Fragaria cascadensis'' K.E. Hummer (Cascade Mountains in Oregon) *''Fragaria iturupensis'' Günther Staudt, Staudt - Iturup strawberry (Iturup, Kuril Islands) *Fragaria × Comarum hybrids, ''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 Strawberry, ''Fragaria'' × ''ananassa''.

Ecology

A number of species of butterfly, butterflies and moths feed on strawberry plants: see list of Lepidoptera that feed on strawberry plants.

References

External links

Species records in the database (for the query: genus = ''Fragaria'')
from the U.S. National Plant Germplasm System website {{Authority control Fragaria, Berries Stoloniferous plants Rosaceae genera