Images: ©Jouko Lehmuskallio
Creamy Strawberry
Fragaria viridis
- Family: Rose Family – Rosaceae
- Height: 5–20 cm (2–8 in.), runners ca. 1–2 metres (3–7 ft.) long or may also be absent.
- Flower: Regular, diameter ca. 2 cm. Calyx-lobes 5, elliptic, long-tapered, hairy. Epicalyx-lobes linear, narrow. Petals 5, yellowish-white, broad, rounded. Stamens 20, carpels free, many. Receptacle hairy. Inflorescence a lax corymb.
- Leaves: In a basal tuft. Long-stalked, trifoliolate. Stalks hairy. Leaflets elliptic, smooth-haired on both sides, underside densely hairy, margins toothed, teeth tipped.
- Fruit: A reddish, hairy enlarged receptacle, with achenes on the surface near the tip.
- Habitat: Dry meadows, waysides, dry banks. Often on calcareous soils.
- Flowering time: May–June.
The strawberries greatly resemble the cinquefoils (Potentilla). Both have runners, often trifoliolate leaves, and an enlarged receptacle.
In Finland, the creamy strawberry is confined to the oak zone. It is a runner-producing species of lime-rich soils. Like its relative, the wild strawberry (F. vesca), this species thrives on dry meadows and waysides. It can be recognized by the hairy fruits and notably large, yellowish flowers. The petals also have longer claws than those of the wild strawberry.
