Virginia strawberry

This small North American native plant, commonly called the wild strawberry, grows 5 to 15 cm tall. A perennial, it is well known for its strawberries—bright red when ripe, sweet, and fragrant.

Its deep green leaves are covered with a light fuzz and divided into three toothed leaflets. Each flower, about 1 cm across, has five white petals.

What we call “strawberry” is in fact an enlarged floral receptacle—the part of the flower that bears the reproductive organs. The true fruits of the Virginia strawberry are the achenes—the tiny, dry, yellowish seeds visible on the surface of the strawberry, each containing a single seed.