Developed by crossing small, sweet wild berries from North America with large but rather tasteless South American ones, domesticated strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) have been grown for hundreds of years. Wild strawberries are generally dioecious (having separate male and female flowers), but horticultural ones have been developed to be monoecious (having male and female parts on the same flower). While this improves the flowers’ ability to self-pollinate, pollinators are still required to transfer the pollen from the stamens to the stigma.
Strawberries are most effectively pollinated by wild bees, but honeybees do an adequate job when native bees are uncommon. Open pollination of flowers by insects will increase fruit set, yield, size and quality of fruit. Unpollinated flowers can lead to misshapen berries. Each flower we see is actually a large group of tiny flowers clustered on a receptacle, and as many as 20 bee visits to each receptacle is required to fully pollinate all of the tiny flowers.
There are a number of theories as to where the name “strawberry” came from. One is that the original name was “strewberry,” since the berries seem to be strewn about the leaves of the plant. This then morphed into the name “strawberry” either due to farmers’ practices of mulching the plants with straw to keep back weeds and protect the ripening fruit, or their habit of bringing the berries to market on beds of straw.
It is possible to grow wild or alpine strawberries from seed. Cold stratification is required before germination. Start seeds indoors in a open flat under a thin layer of soil. When the plants get their second set of true leaves, pot them up into their own containers until large enough to transplant into the garden. Whether you’ve purchased plants or grown them from seed yourself, be harsh and pinch off the first flowers so the plants have a chance to develop stronger roots.
Heirloom varieties of strawberries do exist, but are difficult to find. If you have a favourite old variety that your family has saved or that you’ve been able to purchase commercially, let us know and we’ll pass the information along!