Strawberry

(Fragaria ananassa)

Rosaceae family

Strawberries are not a true berry. The true fruits are the little "seeds" on the surface, which are actually achenes. The fleshy "fruit" is actually an enlarged receptacle. Strawberries are octoploids (2n=8x=56) and are derived via hybridization in cultivation between two native American octoploid species, F. virginiana and F. chiloensis, both of which had previously been domesticated to a certain extent. The strawberry plant is naturally propagated sexually via the achenes, or asexually via stolons. Everbearing strawberries have limited or no stolon production and can be propagated via crown division. Backcrossing programs with both progenitors, as well as other Fragraria species, has given rise to a wide range of cultivars, including the everbearing types. Strawberry production has benefitted greatly through the use of mulches and pesticides.

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