Strawberries. James F Hancock
slightly aromatic, and tasteless with sunken seeds and reflexed calyx. The red fruits are smaller ovate, and very acid. F. pentaphylla has strong leaf-spot resistance (Lei et al., 2014). This species is found in grassy mountain slopes at elevations of 1000–2000 m in Shanxi, Guanshu and Sichuan.
Fragaria mandshurica Staudt
This species closely resembles the autotetraploid F. orientalis, except that the flowers are smaller, and the leaves and teeth are less coarse than F. orientalis (Staudt, 1989). It is 15–25 cm in height and its runners are sympodial branching. Its leaves are covered with spreading hairs, while its peduncles have mostly appressed hairs. The fruits are red, conical and highly aromatic and contain seeds that are green and raised. Some accessions of F. mandshurica rebloom in autumn (Lei et al., 2014). Its distribution is in north-east China and inner Mongolia.
Fragaria iinumae Makino
This species is restricted to the alpine mountains of central and northern Japan. It is a vigorous, erect plant with slender filiform runners with sympodial branching. Leaflets are subglaucous in colour, broadly obovate or cuneate-orbicular, rounded at the apex, petiolate with margins that are coarsely dentoserrate. They are glabrous above with appressed to ascending long pubescence beneath especially on the nerves. Only a few scapes are produced that are one- to three-flowered. Flowers are 15–25 mm across, have more than five petals and are self-incompatible (Bors and Sullivan, 1998). The fruit is elongate, 8 mm across × 1.5 cm long with a small calyx and sunken achenes. The fruit are spongy and nearly tasteless. F. iinumae appears to be deciduous, as no leaves are visible during the winter. The glaucous leaf of F. iinumae is unique to the rest of the diploids.
Fragaria nipponica Lindl.
This is found in the mountains of Japan. It is thought to be closely allied to Fragaria yesoensis (Ohwi, 1965). Terminal leaflets are elliptic to broadly ovate with ovate or subdeltoid teeth, pale-green colour and appressed pubescence especially on nerves beneath. Stolons are monopodial. Scapes are 2–2.5 cm across and have one to four flowers. The fruit is globose to ovoid (1.5–3 cm across) with an unpleasant taste, and its achenes are within pits. Staudt (1989) suggests that there is an undescribed species in the Himalayas that is very similar to F. nipponica.
Tetraploids (2n = 4x = 28)
Fragaria gracilis Losinsk.
This is an extremely slender, short plant, only 3–10 cm in height with filiform and monopodial branching runners. Leaves are trifoliate, obovate and nearly sessile. Its petioles, runners and peduncles have sparse, spreading hairs. Its stolons are monopodial. There are only one to two flowers per inflorescence. Its fruit are red, small, subglobose or elliptic and tasteless with red, very small seeds that are deeply sunken. It does not do well in hot summer temperatures (Lei et al., 2014). F. gracilis is found on grassy mountain slopes, ditches and in forests of Shanxi, Guanchu, Qihai, Henen, Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan and Tibet.
Fragaria orientalis Losinsk.
This is a small, upright plant (10–20 cm) with long, slender runners that are sympodial branching. It is found in forests and open mountain slopes. Its leaves are ovate, light green, nearly sessile with deeply serrate margins. Its stolons are sympodial branching. There are a few large flowers (2.5–3 cm) on the inflorescence. Female plants often rebloom in autumn (Lei et al., 2014). Fruit is large, obovoid and only slightly aromatic. Seeds are sunken. Distribution is in north-east China.
Fragaria corymbosa Losinsk.
This plant is approximately 10–15 cm in height (Lei et al., 2014). Leaves are pinnately quinquefoliolate or trifoliate, obovate, with a cuneate apex. Its petioles are covered with long, thin spreading hairs. Runners are filiform and monopodial branching, with spreading hairs. Flowers have overlapping petals and filaments are longer than pistils. Fruit are red, ovate, tasteless and slightly acid with deeply sunk seeds and pinkish-white flesh. It is not high-temperature resistant in summer. Distribution is in west and central China.
Fragaria moupinensis (French.) Cardot
The plants and fruit of this species are very similar to F. nilgerrensis. The leaves are trifoliate, serrate, elongated oval, with the lower leaflets being smaller. Petioles, runners and peduncles are covered with thickly spreading hairs (Lei et al., 2014). The inflorescence is longer than the leaf petioles and has only two to four flowers. Runners are short monopodial branching. The fruit are orange-red coloured, oval-globose, globose or elliptic, with deeply set achenes, and the flesh is spongy and nearly tasteless. Distribution is in south-west China.
Fragaria tibetica Staudt & Dickoré
This species is approximately 5–15 cm tall and its leaves are pinnately quinquefoliolate or trifoliate and nearly sessile, elliptic with a cuneate apex (Lei et al., 2014). Petioles, runners and peduncles are covered with appressed or ascending hairs. Runners are monopodial branching. There are few flowers per inflorescence, most often two. Fruit are orange-red to light red, oval-globose, globose or elliptic. Seeds are sunken on the shaded side of fruit but not on the sunny side of fruit. Distribution is in south-west China.
Hexaploids (2n = 6x = 42)
Fragaria moschata Duch.
The musky strawberry is a dioecious, tall, vigorous plant that produces few runners. It is native to central Europe, and grows in forests, under shrubs and in tall grass. Leaves are large, dark green, rugose, rhombic, prominently veined and pubescent. The flowers are large (20–25 cm in diameter) and the inflorescence emerges above the foliage, but due to the weight of the ripe berries the scapes lie along the ground. The calyx is usually reflexed. Its stolons are sympodial branching. The fruit is light red to dull-brownish to purplish-red, soft, irregular-globose to ovoid and has a strong vinous flavour. The fruit is slightly larger than that of F. vesca and bears raised achenes. The calyx is strongly reflexed. Both white and red, perfect-flowered forms are cultivated to a limited extent under the name hautboy or hautbois.
Octoploids (2n = 8x = 56)
Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duch.
The beach or Chilean strawberry was once extensively cultivated in western South America and France but is now only grown to a limited extent (see Chapter 2, this volume). Plants are low-spreading and vigorous with prolific runnering (Fig. 1.5), and they tend to be evergreen. Flowers are large, 20–35 mm in diameter. Leaves are generally thick, strongly reticulate-veiny beneath, dark green and very glossy. Runners are robust and bright red. Native forms have fruit that is dull to bright red in colour, with white flesh and mild to pungent flavour. Achenes are reddish-brown to dark brown. Many of the cultivated forms are albino. Fruit is round to oblate with raised or sunken achenes. Fruit size in the cultigens can be in excess of 10 g, but most native forms average 1–3 g.
Fig. 1.5. Duchesne’s drawing of Fragaria chiloensis. This species is one of the progenitors of the cultivated species Fragaria × ananassa. (From Darrow, 1966.)
Wild