The Crop of the Day
Strawberry, Fragaria ananassa
© Paul Gepts 2002
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Sources
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Sauer JD (1993) Fragaria - Strawberries. In: Historical geography of crop
plants. CRC, Boca Raton, FL: pp. 127-130
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Jones JK (1976) Strawberry, Fragaria ananassa (Rosaceae). In:
N.W. Simmonds (ed), Evolution of crop plants, Longman, London: pp. 237-242.
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Margen, S (1992) The encyclopedia of health and nutrition. Random House,
New York: pp. 209-212
Fragaria, the crop
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Main production areas:
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temperate zones, some subtropical
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Europe, USA, former USSR
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Yields:
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seasonal variety: 10-13 t/ha
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ever-bearing varieties: 50-100 t/ha
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Plants:
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Perennial, herbaceous
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Rosette of leaves, inflorescences, runners or stolons (= vegetative propagation)
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(False) Fruits:
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Enlarged fleshy receptacle
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Growth stimulated by true fruits = achenes
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Uses:
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fresh
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processed: canning, jams, freezing, flavoring, confectionary
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Nutrition:
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Highest content of all the berries in vit. C: 1/2 cup = 70% RDA
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1/2 cup = more fiber than one slice of whole wheat bread
Fragaria, the genus
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Rosaceae - several 10s of species forming polyploid series: 2n=2x to 2n=8x
(octoploids), with x = 7; autopolyploid
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Distribution: Europe and Americas: temperate and subarctic
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Reproduction:
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wild polyploid: dioecious; cultivated: hermaphroditic, but cross-pollination
is preferred for full seed set.
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vegetative: "runners"
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Dispersal: seeds, by birds
Fragaria vesca - Wood strawberry, Fraise des Bois
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Diploid, 2n=2x=14
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Monoecious
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Distribution: most common wild diploid
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meadows, forest margins
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temperate Eurasia, North America
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Archaeology:
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Seeds from Neolithic, Roman, Medieval
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Cultivation:
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Probably by Romans
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In Renaissance: food, ornament, medecine (see herbals) --> larger fruits
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Selection: larger fruits, longer-bearing; white-fruited (birds!)
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Still widely planted for home use; not commercially
Fragaria moschata - Musk or hautbois strawberry
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Hexaploid, 2n=6x=42
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Dioecious
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Distribution:
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France, southern Europe, Russia, Siberia
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Incipient domestication:
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Wallonia, Germany, France: 15th-17th century
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Domestication arrested by introduction of the two following species from
the Americas
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Still grown for flavor and aroma; no increase in fruit size
Fragaria virginiana - Virginia or scarlet strawberry
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Octoploid, 2n=8x=56
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Woods and meadows of North America, from East coast to Rocky Mountains
and from New Mexico to Alaska
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Famous quote: from Roger Williams (1643): "...this berry is the wonder
of all fruits growing naturally in these parts. It is of itself excellent
so that one of the chiefest doctors of England was wont to say, that God
could have made, but never did make a better berry. In some parts where
the Indians have planted, I have many times seen as many as would fill
a good ship, within few miles compass....
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1620s: cultivation in Europe:
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selection of hermaphroditic cultivars
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A few varieties still grown: unique flavor
Fragaria chiloensis - the Chilean strawberry
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Octoploid, 2n=8x=56
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Origin:
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probably on Pacific coast (sand dunes) of North America
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dispersal by migratory birds to Hawaii, southern Chile, Argentina
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Domestication:
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by Araucanians in Chile
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planting runners, selection for larger fruits, different colors (red, yellow,
white)
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Dispersal:
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by Spaniards: during 16th-17th centuries in cool highlands of Latin America
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by French (naval officer Frezier) around 1715: to Paris, 5 female plants
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production in Brittany around 1750 by interplanting with F. moschata
and F. virginiana (sources of pollen)
Fragaria ananassa - the garden strawberry or pineapple strawberry
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Octoploid, 2n=2x=56
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Origin:
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cross F. chiloensis x F. virginiana
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combines larger fruit size of F.c. and hermaphroditism of F.v.
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recognized by Antoine Nicolas Duchesne (1766): repeated the cross and grew
progeny, which matched F. ananassa in appearance. His theory was
only accepted in 20th century. He was well-ahead of his time not only because
of his finding but also because of his methodology.
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History:
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became main strawberry
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additional diversity from California races of F. chiloense --> "everbearing"
type, with greatly extended season
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cross between F. ananassa and Rocky mountain race of F. virginiana
(F. ovalis): drought, low temperatures
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F.v. and F.c. both donors of additional disease resistances
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