Strawberry

Fragaria

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Fragaria (pronounced /frəˈɡɛəriə/) is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Originally straw was used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, which may have led to its name. There are more than 20 described species and many hybrids and cultivars. The most common strawberries grown commercially are cultivars of the Garden strawberry (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.

Classification

There are more than 20 different Fragaria species worldwide. Key to the classification of strawberry species is recognizing that they vary in the number of chromosomes. There are seven basic types of chromosomes that they all have in common. However, they exhibit different polyploidy. Some species are diploid, having two sets of the seven chromosomes (14 chromosomes total). 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 (Darrow).

Diploid species

Woodland Strawberry (Fragaria vesca)

Fragaria sp.

• Fragaria daltoniana J.Gay (Himalayas)
• Fragaria iinumae Makino (East Russia, Japan)
• Fragaria nilgerrensis Schlecht. ex J.Gay (South and Southeast Asia)
• Fragaria nipponica Makino (Japan)
• Fragaria nubicola Lindl. ex Lacaita (Himalayas)
• Fragaria vesca Coville - Woodland Strawberry (Northern Hemisphere)
• Fragaria viridis Duchesne (Europe, Central Asia)
• Fragaria yezoensis H.Hara (Northeast Asia)

Tetraploid species

• Fragaria moupinensis Cardot (China)
• Fragaria orientalis -

Hexaploid species

• Fragaria moschata Duchesne - Musk strawberry (Europe)

Octoploid species and hybrids

• Fragaria ×ananassa Duchesne - Garden strawberry
• Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Mill. - Beach strawberry (Western Americas)
  • Fragaria chiloensis subsp. chiloensis forma chiloensis
  • Fragaria chiloensis subsp. chiloensis forma patagonica (Argentina, Chile)
  • Fragaria chiloensis subsp. lucida (E. Vilm. ex Gay) Staudt (coast of British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California)
  • Fragaria chiloensis subsp. pacifica Staudt (coast of Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, California)
  • Fragaria chiloensis subsp. sandwicensis (Decne.) Staudt - ʻŌhelo papa (Hawaiʻi)
• Fragaria iturupensis Staudt - Iturup Strawberry (Iturup, Kuril Islands)
• Fragaria virginiana Mill. - Virginia Strawberry (North America)

Decaploid species and hybrids

• Fragaria × Potentilla hybrids
• Fragaria ×vescana

Numerous other species have been proposed. Some are now recognized as subspecies of one of the above species (see GRIN taxonomy database).

The Mock Strawberry and Barren Strawberry, which both bear resemblance to Fragaria, are closely related species in the genus Potentilla. The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo) is an unrelated species.

Ecology

A number of species of Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) feed on strawberry plants; for details see this list.

See also

• Epigynous berry

Footnotes

References

• Darrow, George M. The Strawberry: History, Breeding and Physiology. New York. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966.

External links

• Balconmicrobio.com - How to grow strawberries in balcony (Spanish)
• GRIN Fragaria Taxonomy Database Listing of Fragaria species, from the USDA website