Mock Strawberry

Description:

Mock strawberry has foliage and an aggregate accessory fruit similar to true strawberry, though this is apparently an independent evolution of a similar fruit type. It has yellow flowers, unlike the white or slightly pink flowers of true strawberries. It is native to eastern and southern Asia, but has been introduced to many other areas as an ornamental plant. It has been naturalized in many regions, including the southern United States, and is considered an invasive species in some regions. The leaves are trifoliate, roughly veined beneath, dark green, and often persisting through the winter, arising from short crowns. The plant spreads along creeping stolons, rooting and producing crowns at each node. The yellow flowers are produced in mid spring, then sporadically throughout the growing season. The aggregate accessory fruits are white or red, and entirely covered with red achenes, simple ovaries, each containing a single seed.

Habitat:

This one was growing in an open, grassy area near constructed wetlands at Phinizy Swamp Nature Park near Augusta (Richmond County), GA.

Notes:

Other common names include mock strawberry, Gurbir, Indian strawberry or false strawberry. They fruit is edible, but they have very little flavor. As a precaution, never eat wild fruit unless you can positively identify it. Potentilla indica was a previous scientific name for the plant.