All plants /Ground /Wild Strawberry
Wild Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana, rose family. Uncommon in East Texas.
At a glance
- What
- Tiny red strawberries
- How
- Raw
- When
- Spring
- Where
- Woodland edges and meadows of far East Texas
- Value
- Vitamin C, sugars
Caution: True wild strawberry has white flowers and red fruit; the harmless 'mock strawberry' has yellow flowers and a bland fruit. Neither is dangerous, but know the difference. Never eat a wild plant on this guide's word alone. Confirm identity against several sources and learn the look-alikes first.
Identification
A miniature of the garden berry, low to the ground with white five-petal flowers. The fruit is a fraction of the size and many times the flavor.
On the trail
Too small and scattered to gather in bulk, but the most intense strawberry you will ever taste, eaten on the spot.
Photo: Sebaz, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Forages well with
Forage safely. Never eat a wild plant on this site's word alone. Confirm identity with several sources, learn the look-alikes, and when in doubt, leave it in the ground.