Scientific Name
Duchesnea indica (Andrews) Foche
Synonyms
Common Names
Indian strawberry, wild strawberry
Origin
Asia and India
Family
Rosaceae
Distinguishing Characteristics
This is a creeping perennial (living longer than 2 seasons) herb spreading by slender stolons (a horizontal above ground stem which may take root at the nodes). It looks like a strawberry plant.
Leaves are 3-foliolate (3 leaves/leaflets grouped together to look like 1 leaf), leaflets are pear-shaped to rhombic, margins are toothed.
Flowers are solitary (1 per stem), peduncles (flower stems) are 5-15 cm long, flowers have 5 well separated yellow petals.
The fruit turns red and looks like a firm small strawberry but a little rounder. Seed is an achenes which is hard. The seed as with strawberrys are on the outer surface of the spongy fruit.
This plant is found in drainage lines and is a weed of gardens. Fruit is edible but tastless. It is spread by stolons (horizontal stems) spreading and growing new plantlets and probably by birds who have eaten the fruit.
Other plants easily confused with this plant
Cultivated strawberry plants.
Sources & References
"Weeds - an illustrated botanical guide to weeds of Australia" by B. A. Auld and R. W. Medd
"Plantnet FloraOnline" (2005) http://plantnet.rbgsyd.nsw.gov.au/
Prepared by Justin KY Chu, July 2005
Checked and updated by IEWF, May 2006