# Strawberry (*Fragaria × ananassa*)

Strawberries are sweet, red fruits that grow on low plants with green leaves. They are juicy and delicious to eat, often used in desserts like cakes and ice cream.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Gardens, Fields
- **Also known as:** Common Strawberry, Garden Strawberry

![Strawberry](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Strawberries.JPG&width=800)

Photo: CC BY-SA 2.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Strawberries.JPG)

## Appearance

The Strawberry is a low-growing plant with characteristic trifoliate green leaves, often slightly toothed. It produces small white or pinkish flowers. Its most distinct feature is the bright red, heart-shaped 'fruit' covered with tiny yellow seeds on its surface.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Rosales
- **Family:** Rosaceae
- **Genus:** Fragaria

## Interesting facts

- Strawberry plants can live and produce fruit for about five to six years.
- Technically, a strawberry isn't a true berry; it's an 'aggregate accessory fruit'!
- The juicy red part we eat is actually a swollen flower stem, not the plant's true fruit.
- There's a museum dedicated entirely to strawberries in Wépion, Belgium!

## Special abilities

- **Runner Power:** Strawberry can send out 'runners' (stolons) to create new plants without seeds, helping it spread quickly.
- **Seed Strategy:** Strawberry carries its seeds on the outside of its fruit. This helps animals disperse them easily when they eat the berry.
- **Sweet Scent Attractor:** Strawberry plants produce a sweet, inviting aroma. This helps them attract various pollinators and seed dispersers.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 15-30 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — Helps strawberry flowers develop into fruit.
- **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — Eats ripe berries, aiding seed dispersal.
- **Eats:** Spanish Slug (*Arion vulgaris*) — Consumes leaves and ripe fruit of the plant.
- **Eaten by:** [Deer Mouse](https://www.snappit.app/explore/deer-mouse) (*Peromyscus maniculatus*) — Feeds on strawberry fruit and seeds.

## Traits

- [Groundcover](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/groundcover): Groundcover plants are low-growing vegetation that spreads horizontally to cover the ground, often suppressing weeds and preventing soil erosion.
- [Spring Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/spring-blooming): Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
- [Fragrant Flower](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fragrant-flower): Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

## Collections

- [Fruits](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/fruits)
- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always wash strawberries before eating to remove any dirt or chemicals.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Strawberry?

Compare how the fruit is clustered, the leaves and their arrangement, the stems and any thorns. Red, blue and black fruits grow on lots of unrelated plants, and the same color can show up on both edible and poisonous species. Berry Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Strawberry?

15-30 cm

### How wide does Strawberry spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Strawberry?

1-2 cm

### When does Strawberry bloom?

Spring

### Is Strawberry edible?

Yes

### Is Strawberry toxic?

None

### What is Strawberry's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Strawberry: Characteristics, Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/strawberry)