Wild strawberry is a fairly low perennial from short rhizomes or stolons growing in somewhat dampish shaded places.  The stems can reach 12" in height, and the mostly basal leaves have three leaflets that are thin, broadly elliptic to rounded-ovate, ± coarsely serrate with 12-21 teeth that are obtuse to sharp-tipped, slightly hairy above and hairier below, and subsessile.  There are five green sepals and five roundish white petals, about 20 stamens with slightly flattened filaments in three series, sometimes abortive, and many pistils with superior ovaries borne on an elevated conic receptacle, which becomes enlarged, fleshy and red in fruit and is covered with small achenes. This species is found from 4000' to 7500' in mostly coniferous forest, and is our one native strawberry.  It blooms from March to June.

Click here for Latin name derivations: 1) Fragaria 2) vesca.
Pronunciation: fra-GARE-ee-a VES-ka.
Click here for Botanical Term Meanings.