Fragaria moschata

Duchesne ex Weston

Musk strawberry, Hautbois strawberry

Rosaceae Edible: Fruit 4,376 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Summary

A vigorous perennial growing 0.5 m tall at a fast rate with hermaphroditic, insect-pollinated flowers blooming April to July; seeds ripen June to August. Not self-fertile. Accepts sandy, loamy, and clay soils with good drainage and moist conditions across mildly acid to mildly alkaline pH. Grows in semi-shade or full sun. Hardy to UK zone 6. Attracts wildlife.

Description

A small spreading plant. The fruit is a deep red colour. The flesh is white or yellow. There are some named cultivated varieties.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The fruit is eaten raw. It is sweet and succulent, small in size but excellent in flavour and very aromatic. Though greatly superior to cultivated strawberries, it is not produced very freely.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten fresh as a dessert. They are eaten raw and used in jam.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

It is a temperate plant. It grows in hardiness zone 5.

Where It Grows

Asia, Balkans, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Caucasus, Europe, France, Hungary, India, Indochina, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mediterranean, Myanmar, Northeastern India, Russia, Scandinavia, SE Asia, Siberia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Vietnam,

Cultivation

Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced. Another report says that this species prefers shade. Succeeds in acid and alkaline soils. Likes a mulch of pine or spruce leaves. At one time this species was widely cultivated for its edible fruit, but it is fairly low yielding and has now been almost totally superseded by cultivars of F. x. ananassa. There are some named varieties. The flowers are usually unisexual. (This report does not say if the plants are dioecious or monoecious.) This species produces few or no stolons. An evergreen. Strawberries are typically harvested in late spring to early summer depending on the variety and climate. Strawberries usually flower in spring. Strawberries grow relatively quickly, with plants producing fruit within the first year of planting, especially when propagated through runners.

Propagation

Sow seed in early spring in a greenhouse; germination can take four weeks or more. Seedlings begin small and slow but develop rapidly. Prick out into individual pots when large enough and plant out during summer. Divide runners preferably in July or August to allow establishment before the following year's crop, or transplant the following spring — plants should not be allowed to fruit in their first year after a spring move. Runners can go directly into permanent positions.

Other Uses

Strawberries can serve as ground cover to help prevent soil erosion and can be integrated into mixed cropping systems to enhance biodiversity. This species spreads vigorously via surface stolons, forming a dense carpet that grows well among shrubs, though it is likely to suffocate smaller plants. It is a dynamic accumulator, drawing minerals and nutrients from the soil and storing them in a more bioavailable form for use as fertiliser or to improve mulch. The flowers are rich in nectar and pollen, attracting bees, butterflies, and other pollinators. The fruit provides food for birds and wildlife, and the plants offer ground-level habitat and invertebrate shelter.

Production

It is fast growing but short lived.

Other Information

It is cultivated.

Synonyms

Fragaria elatior Ehrart

Also Known As

Beekeeper, Dau-tay cao, Dau-tay sa, Eper, Kijuromvu, Kitnjaca, Muškatni jagodnjak, Piroseper, Smokva, Sunitsa

References (23)

Beitr. Naturk. 7:23. 1792 (As Fragaria elatior)
Bot. univ. 2:327. 1771 (A. N. Duchesne, Hist. nat. frais. 145. 1766, as "races principales")
Brouk, B., 1975, Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, London. p 202
Chase, P. & Singh, O. P., 2016, Bioresources of Nagaland: A Case of Wild 4 Edible Fruits in Khonoma Village Forest. in J. Purkayastha (ed.), Bioprospecting of Indigenous Bioresources of North-East India. p 50
Crate, S. A., 2008, "Eating Hay": The Ecology, Economy and Culture of Viliui Sakha Smallholders of Northeastern Siberia. Human Ecology 36:161-174 (As Fragaria elatior)

Show all 23 references

Davis, S.D., Heywood, V.H., & Hamilton, A.C. (eds), 1994, Centres of plant Diversity. WWF. Vol 1 or 2. p 109 (As Fragaria elatior)
Denes, A., et al, 2012, Wild plants used for food by Hungarian ethnic groups living in the Carpathian Basin. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81 (4): 381-396
Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 198
John, L., & Stevenson, V., 1979, The Complete Book of Fruit. Angus & Robertson p 268
Jones, J.K., 1979, Strawberry, in Simmonds, N.W., (ed), Crop Plant Evolution. Longmans. London. p 237
Glowinski, L., 1999, The Complete Book of Fruit Growing in Australia. Lothian. p 150
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 316 (As Fragaria elatior)
Jackes, D. A., Edible Forest Gardens
Kiple, K.F. & Ornelas, K.C., (eds), 2000, The Cambridge World History of Food. CUP p 1881
Luczaj, L., 2012, Ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants of Slovakia. Acta Societatis Botanicorum Poloniae 81(4):245-255
Lyle, S., 2006, Discovering fruit and nuts. Land Links. p 216
Nedelcheva A., 2013, An ethnobotanical study of wild edible plants in Bulgaria. EurAsian Journal of BioSciences 7, 77-94
Pham-Hoang Ho, 1999, An Illustrated Flora of Vietnam. Nha Xuat Ban Tre. p 797
Plants for a Future database, The Field, Penpol, Lostwithiel, Cornwall, PL22 0NG, UK. http://www.scs.leeds.ac.uk/pfaf/
Redzic, S. J., 2006, Wild Edible Plants and their Traditional Use in the Human Nutrition in Bosnia-Herzegovina. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 45:189-232 (As Fragaria elatior)
Sasi, R. & Rajendran, A., 2012, Diversity of Wild Fruits in Nilgiri Hills of the Southern Western Ghats - Ethnobotanical Aspects. IJABPT, 3(1) p 82-87 (As Fragaria elatior)
van Wyk, B., 2005, Food Plants of the World. An illustrated guide. Timber press. p 198
Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 310