Fragaria orientalis

Fragaria orientalis is a tetraploid species of wild strawberry native to E. Asia – Eastern Siberia. It is occasionally cultivated as a novelty edible.

Key features

Fragaria orientalis is a perennial, averaging 8 in tall; it blooms from Apr to May.
It vigorously produces runners, like many herbaceous members of Fragariinae.

Distinguishing features

Fruit ripen purple-red with deeply inset ovoid achenes
Hemispheric to obviate fruit
Leaflets highly variable- 1–5 × 0.8–3.5 cm
obovate or rhombic-ovate shape with slightly acute tip
abaxially pilose, especially near veins, slightly adaxial pilose
cuneate central leaflets, lateral leaflets oblique
Flowers bisexual, rarely unisexual, 1–1.5 cm in diameter

Cultivation

This plant is cultivated as an edible herb, although it is relatively rare in cultivation. Plants for a Future offers a preliminary method of cultivation.
Prefers a sunny position with moist, fertile soil for maximum production. However, plants can tolerate partial shade. Fragaria orientalis prefers a mulch of coniferous needles. They can be vigorous, spreading via runners. There is little invasive threat.

Distribution

Fragaria orientalis is native to China and eastern Siberia, specifically the Chinese provinces of Gansu, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shanxi, as well as in Korea, Mongolia, and eastern Russia. These plants can be found in forests and meadows on mountain slopes, usually in the shade of forest trees at elevations of 600 – 4000 meters.

Numismatics

Fragaria orientalis is depicted on the Mongolian postage stamps of 1968 and 1987