Waldsteinia fragarioides is a low, spreading perennial groundcover native to eastern North America. It produces yellow five petaled flowers that appear in early spring and is frequently used as an evergreenRichardson, Marc and Dan Jaffe (2018). Native Plants for New England Gardens, p.32. underplanting in perennial gardens. It lacks above ground runners entirely, spreading strictly via slow moving, subterranean rhizomes creeping just beneath the soil surface.
Conservation status in the United States Waldsteinia fragarioides is found from Minnesota, Ontario,Dickinson, T.; Metsger, D.; Bull, J.; & Dickinson, R. (2004). ROM Field Guide to Wildflowers of Ontario, Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto: McClelland and Stewart Ltd., p.343. Quebec, and Maine south to Indiana and Pennsylvania (and as far south as North Carolina in the mountains). It is listed as endangered in Connecticut,"Connecticut's Endangered, Threatened and Special Concern Species 2015". State of Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Bureau of Natural Resources. Retrieved 14 May 2018.(Note: This list is newer than the one used by plants.usda.gov and is more up-to-date.) Illinois, and Maine, as threatened in New Hampshire, as a special concern in Massachusetts, and as rare in Indiana.
Native American ethnobotany The Haudenosaunee take a compound decoction of the Waldsteinia fragarioides as a blood remedy, and apply a poultice of the smashed plants to snakebites.Herrick, James William, 1977, Iroquois Medical Botany, State University of New York, Albany, PhD Thesis, page 352
Lookalike species and nursery trade confusion Waldsteinia fragarioides is similar in appearance to other low plants of the rose family such as Fragaria (strawberries) or Potentilla indica (Indian strawberry). In North America, this plant is a common misnomer of Waldsteinia ternata (Siberian barren strawberry), frequently mislabeled and sold in its place, even though this native species lacks runners and has more rounded leaves. Waldsteinia ternata is much easier for commercial growers to rapidly propagate via division of their rooted runners, which is a major reason why it accidentally flooded the North American nursery trade. Because the two species share nearly identical three lobed semi evergreen foliage, and yellow five petaled flowers, they are easily misidentified without close inspection of the floral anatomy and leaf margins.
Taxonomy and identification
Waldsteinia fragarioides and Waldsteinia ternata can be definitively distinguished by key morphological traits: Petal Structure: Distance between, and shape of, the five petals of the yellow flower blossoms. Calyx Anatomy: The green backing (calyx) on the underside of the flower. Foliage Morphology: The features of the leaflet edges at the tips. Growth and Propagation: The method by which the plant sends out new shoots.
The two species can be reliably differentiated using the following morphological keys:
Feature Waldsteinia fragarioides(Appalachian barren strawberry) Waldsteinia ternata(Siberian barren strawberry) Origin Native to Eastern North America. Native to Eurasia (Siberia, East Asia, and parts of Central Europe). Flower Petals Slender, narrow, and widely spaced, with distinct, open green gaps between them. Broad and rounded; petals often touch or overlap. Calyx Structure Lacks an epicalyx. It possesses only five smooth primary sepals. Prominent epicalyx present, featuring an additional five narrow secondary mini bractlets between each of the five primary sepals. Leaf Margins Shallowly rounded, and crenate. Jagged, and sharply serrated. Spread & Growth Spreads slowly only via underground rhizomes; lacks above ground surface runners. Roots grow at nodes along creeping above ground stolons. Also produces short rhizomes.
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References
External links Waldsteinia fragarioides Waldsteinia fragarioides (in French)