Duchesnea indica - Mock Strawberry

Family:	Rosaceae
Habit:	Perennial
Height:	0.1
Width:	1
Synonyms:	D. fragarioides. Fragaria indica.
Range:	E. Asia - China, Japan, Himalayas. An occasional garden escape in Britain[17].

Duchesnea indica (Mock Strawberry) is a Perennial which grows to a height of 0.1m and a width of 1m . It has a fast growth rate. It has a hardness rating of 6and is vunerable to frost.
Mock Strawberry will flower in November to April. the seeds ripen from January to April
The flowers from this plant are hermaphrodite (has both male and female organs) and they are pollinated by Insects

Soil Information

Mock Strawberry will grow in light (sandy),medium (loamy),hard (clay) soil. It is / is important for the soil to be well drained.
The soil prefers the following PH / acid levels :
- pH of less than 6, Acidic soils
- pH between 6 and 8, Neutral soils
- pH greater than 8, Basic soils
Mock Strawberry prefers moist soils

Ideal Planting Locations

Mock Strawberry can grow in semi or areas with no shade.

Shady places in woods, grassy slopes, ravines in low mountains, all over Japan[58].

Planting places suited to this plant described below.

• Grows within a woodland garden
• Works within dappled Shade
• Grows in a shady edge
• Can spread to cover ground and will out compete weeds

Cultivation Details

Prefers a moist but well-drained soil in a sunny position[175]. Plants are at their best in semi-shade, though they are not too fussy[214] and can succeed in quite dense shade[208, 214]. They also grow well in a rock garden[1]. Plants are hardy to about -20°c[200]. A very ornamental plant[1] but it can be invasive, spreading freely by means of runners[187]. Plants are more or less evergreen, though they can be browned by severe frosts[214]. Plants sometimes self-sow in British gardens[214].

Edible Uses*

* See disclaimer
Edible Rating: 2/5
Fruit - raw[105, 177]. Dry and insipid[17]. Certainly rather tasteless, but it is not dry[K]. A flavour somewhat like a water melon according to some people, but this is possibly the product of a strained imagination[K].The fruit contains about 3.4% sugar, 1.5% protein, 1.6% ash[194]. Vitamin C is 6.3mg per 100ml of juice[194]. The fruit is about 10mm in diameter with the appearance and texture of a strawberry but very little flavour[K]. A clump 2.5m² yields about 150g of fruit annually[194]. Leaves - cooked[179].

• Fruit -
• Leaves -

Medicinal Uses*

* See disclaimer
Medicinal Rating: 2/5
The whole plant is anticoagulant, antiseptic, depurative and febrifuge[147, 178]. It can be used in decoction or the fresh leaves can be crushed and applied externally as a poultice[147]. It is used in the treatment of boils and abscesses, weeping eczema, ringworm, stomatitis, laryngitis, acute tonsillitis, snake and insect bites and traumatic injuries[147]. A decoction of the leaves is used in the treatment of swellings[147, 178, 218]. An infusion of the flowers is used to activate the blood circulation[218]. The fruit is used to cure skin diseases[218]. A decoction of the plant is used as a poultice for abscesses, boils, burns etc[218].

• Anticoagulant - Removes blood clots.
• Antiphlogistic - Reduces inflammation.
• Antiseptic - Preventing sepsis, decay or putrefaction, it destroys or arrests the growth of micro-organisms.
• Depurative - Eliminates toxins and purifies the system, especially the blood.
• Febrifuge - Reduces fevers.
• Poultice - A moist, usually warm or hot, mass of plant material applied to the skin in the treatment of burns etc.
• Skin - Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a sunny position in a greenhouse. Germination usually takes place within 1 - 6 weeks or more at 15°c. A period of cold stratification may speed up germination. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer. Division of runners in spring or late summer. Very easy, they can be planted out straight into their permanent positions.

Known Hazards

None known

Other Uses

A good ground cover plant, spreading quickly[197] by means of runners[214]. It is rather bare in winter though[K] and should not be grown with small plants since it will drown them out[208]. A good cover for bulbous plants[214].

• Ground cover - Usually low growing plants that can be grown with other plants, especially shrubs and trees, to prevent the growth of weeds.

Cultivars

no recorded cultivars

References

Flora of Japan. (English translation)
Ohwi. G.
Author: Ohwi. G.
Rating:
Publisher : The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.
Date of Publication : 1965

The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992.
Huxley. A.
Author: Huxley. A.
Rating:
Publisher : Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
Date of Publication : 1992

Flora of China

Author:
Rating: http://flora.huh.harvard.edu/china/
Publisher : On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.
Date of Publication : 1994

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