Mountain Strawberry

The Mountain Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), or wild strawberry, is a fruiting evergreen groundcover native across much of North America — small, intensely flavored red berries, and one of the two wild parents of the modern garden strawberry.^2, 4

Edible & Medicinal Uses

The berries are smaller than store-bought strawberries but famous for their concentrated, superior flavor — eaten fresh, or made into preserves and confections. (Crossed with our coastal Coastal Strawberry, Fragaria chiloensis, this is one of the two species behind today's garden strawberry.) The trifoliate leaves are edible too — raw in salads, cooked, or steeped into a pleasant, mild tea. Strawberries are high in antioxidants, vitamin C, and minerals — a true superfood.^1, 4

Ornamental Qualities

A lovely, useful evergreen groundcover, Mountain Strawberry spreads by long red runners into a low mat of lightly toothed, trifoliate leaves on striking red stems, dotted with small white flowers and bright red fruit. It fills empty ground with year-round color and interest — beautiful under shrubs, along paths, or as a living mulch.¹

Environment & Culture

Ecology: Adaptable and widespread, Mountain Strawberry grows in meadows, clearings, and open woods across North America. Its flowers feed early pollinators and its berries feed birds and other wildlife, while its running mat holds soil and suppresses weeds.^1, 2

Culture: Wild strawberries are a beloved seasonal food gathered fresh and dried by many peoples for generations, the leaves also steeped as a mild tea. We offer it with respect for that living knowledge and invite support for Indigenous-led restoration through our Charitable Giving page.⁴

In the Kitchen

Eat the little berries sun-warm off the plant for the fullest flavor, or gather enough to cook into a jewel-bright jam or fold into desserts; dry the leaves for a gentle herbal tea. (Growing and harvest details are on the Planting Guide tab.)

Attributes

• Native Range: Across N. America; meadows, clearings, open woods¹
• USDA Zones: ~3–9³
• Light: Full sun to part shade¹
• Water: Moderate¹
• Soil: Well-drained; adaptable¹
• Habit: Evergreen groundcover; red runners, white flowers, red fruit²
• Edible: Berries (fresh or preserved) & leaves (tea/greens)⁴

References

1. Native Foods Nursery field notes; USDA NRCS, Fragaria virginiana.
2. Pojar, J. & MacKinnon, A., Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast, 2014.
3. USDA PLANTS Database, Fragaria virginiana.
4. Moerman, D., Native American Ethnobotany, 1998.

Pot Sizing Guide