Mock Strawberry
Encyclopedia
Potentilla indica also called mock strawberry, Gurbir, Indian strawberry or false strawberry, has foliage and fruit similar to true strawberry
, though it is classified in a different genus
, and has yellow flower
s, unlike the white or slightly pink flowers of true strawberries. It is native to eastern and southern Asia
, but has been introduced to many other areas as an ornamental plant
. It has been naturalized in many regions, including the southern United States, and is considered a noxious weed in some regions.
The leaves are trifoliate, roughly veined beneath, dark green, and often persisting through the winter, arising from short crowns. The plant spreads along creeping stolon
s, rooting and producing crowns at each node. The yellow flowers are produced in mid spring, then sporadically throughout the growing season. The fruits are white or red, and entirely covered with red seed-like achene
s. They are edible, but they have very little flavor.
Recent genetic evidence has shown that this genus is better included within Potentilla
, but currently most sources still list it in the genus Duchesnea.
Strawberry
Fragaria is a genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, commonly known as strawberries for their edible fruits. Although it is commonly thought that strawberries get their name from straw being used as a mulch in cultivating the plants, the etymology of the word is uncertain. There...
, though it is classified in a different genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, and has yellow flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s, unlike the white or slightly pink flowers of true strawberries. It is native to eastern and southern Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
, but has been introduced to many other areas as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
. It has been naturalized in many regions, including the southern United States, and is considered a noxious weed in some regions.
The leaves are trifoliate, roughly veined beneath, dark green, and often persisting through the winter, arising from short crowns. The plant spreads along creeping stolon
Stolon
In biology, stolons are horizontal connections between organisms. They may be part of the organism, or of its skeleton; typically, animal stolons are external skeletons.-In botany:...
s, rooting and producing crowns at each node. The yellow flowers are produced in mid spring, then sporadically throughout the growing season. The fruits are white or red, and entirely covered with red seed-like achene
Achene
An achene is a type of simple dry fruit produced by many species of flowering plants. Achenes are monocarpellate and indehiscent...
s. They are edible, but they have very little flavor.
Recent genetic evidence has shown that this genus is better included within Potentilla
Potentilla
Potentilla is the genus of typical cinquefoils, containing about 500 species of annual, biennial and perennial herbs in the rose family Rosaceae. They are generally Holarctic in distribution, though some may even be found in montane biomes of the New Guinea Highlands...
, but currently most sources still list it in the genus Duchesnea.