The Dawes Arboretum

Common name: barren-strawberry, Appalachian barren-strawberry

Family: Rosaceae (rose family)

Synonym: Geum fragarioides

Distribution: c. and e. North America

Life form: Herbaceous perennial

Comments: Barren strawberry is not a true strawberry (Fragaria spp.), though it superficially resembles one. It has similar trifoliate leaves with wedge-shaped leaflets, however, the flowers are yellow. The flowers bloom intermittently from late spring to early summer, the petals only lasting one or two days before falling off. The fruits are also different from strawberries, being dry achenes that are inedible, hence the "barren" part of its common name. It is usually found in woods, thickets, and fields, forming a 6" tall mat and spreading by rhizomes. In parts of its native range, it is actually an endangered plant. Some Native American tribes used barren strawberry in a poultice to treat snakebites.