PlantWatch

Strawberry, Wild (Fragaria virginiana/vesca)

Photo by Réjean Martel

French name: fraisier sauvage
Bloom time: April to May
Report for: YK, NT, BC, AB, SK, MB, ON, QC, NB, NS, PEI, NF

General: Small plant that grows in woods or fields, often forming little colonies.

Leaves & Twigs: Leaves grow from the stem base and are divided into three, deep-toothed leaflets, that appear before the flowers.

Flowers & Fruit: Each plant has three-to-five white flowers. Flowers are 7–10 mm long and each has five petals. Fruits look like miniatures of store-bought strawberries.

Habitat: Found in abandoned fields, along roads and in open woodlands.

Sampling: Select a typical patch of plants, if the plants are very abundant, mark off a 1-metre-square section to observe.

To Observe:

• First bloom: when the first flowers are open in the observed plants
• Mid bloom: when 50% of the flowers are open in the observed plants.