Fragaria orientalis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Fragaria orientalis
Scientific classification
Genus:	Fragaria
Species:	orientalis

The Fragaria orientalis, also known as the Oriental Strawberry, is a type of wild strawberry. It grows naturally in Eastern Asia, especially in Eastern Siberia. This plant is a diploid species, which means it has two sets of chromosomes in its cells. Sometimes, people grow it in their gardens because its fruit is edible and a bit unusual.

What Makes Oriental Strawberries Special?

The Oriental Strawberry is a perennial plant, meaning it lives for more than two years. It usually grows to about 8 inches (0.2 meters) tall. This strawberry plant blooms with flowers from April to May.

Like many other herbaceous plants (plants with soft, non-woody stems) in the strawberry family, it grows many runners. Runners are long stems that spread out from the main plant and can grow new plants.

How to Spot an Oriental Strawberry

Here are some ways to tell an Oriental Strawberry apart from other plants:

• Its fruits turn purple-red when they are ripe. They have tiny seeds, called achenes, that are deeply set into the fruit.
• The fruits can be shaped like a half-sphere or a bit wider at the top.
• The leaves are quite varied in size, usually between 1 to 5 centimeters long and 0.8 to 3.5 centimeters wide.
• The leaves often have a shape that is wider at the top and narrows towards the stem (obovate). They can also be shaped like a diamond (rhombic-ovate) with a slightly pointed tip.
• The underside of the leaves (abaxially) is often fuzzy, especially near the veins. This fuzziness is called pilose. The top side of the leaves (adaxial) can also be slightly fuzzy.
• The central leaflets (parts of the leaf) are wedge-shaped at their base (cuneate). The side leaflets are often uneven or lopsided (oblique).
• The flowers are usually bisexual, meaning they have both male and female parts. Sometimes, they are unisexual, having only male or female parts. The flowers are about 1 to 1.5 centimeters wide.

How to Grow Oriental Strawberries

Even though it's not very common, you can grow the Oriental Strawberry as an edible plant. It prefers a sunny spot in your garden with soil that is moist and rich in nutrients. This helps the plant produce the most fruit. However, it can also grow well in places with some shade.

The Oriental Strawberry likes to have a layer of mulch made from pine needles or other conifer needles around its base. This plant spreads easily using its runners, but it usually doesn't become a problem by taking over other plants.

Where Do Oriental Strawberries Grow?

The Oriental Strawberry is native to China and Eastern Siberia. You can find it in several Chinese provinces, including Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, and Shanxi. It also grows in Korea, Mongolia, and Eastern Russia.

These plants typically grow in forests and meadows on the sides of mountains. They often prefer shady spots under forest trees. You can find them at high elevations, from about 600 to 4000 meters above sea level.

Oriental Strawberries on Stamps

The Oriental Strawberry has even appeared on postage stamps! It was shown on two stamps from Mongolia. One stamp was issued in 1968 and had a face value of 30 Mongolian möngö. Another stamp, issued in 1987, had a face value of 1.20 Mongolian tögrög.

See also

In Spanish: Fresa oriental para niños