Anna Sara Hill, Horticulture Extension Agent
Spring is in the air and soon plants bearing one of Americans favorite fruit will be blooming, followed by the ripening of the iconic red heart shaped seeded berries. Individual berries have approximately 150-200 seeds called achenes, embedded in the flesh. The fruit we know by the name of strawberry has been called many names over the years, by many different cultures including lesser-known names such as ground berry, small berry, sweet berry, and fragrant berry. More well-known names are heart berry and strawberry. The English named them strawberry, and the name stuck. It is probably a mispronunciation of the old English word “strewian” or “strawian”. The term means strewn about and probably refers to the runner growth habit of the plants with the attached berries being scattered (aka. strewn) about the ground.
The name strawberry is also descriptive of the straw which the plants were traditionally covered with to insulate and protect the berries from the cold weather as well as keeping them clean. Later burlap replaced the straw, and it was replaced with modern row covers made from various materials ranging from nonwoven fabrics to polyester and polyethylene. These row covers are white or translucent and allow sunlight and water in. The row covers are either installed over wire support hoops to hold the material off the leaves or floating covers that are laid directly on the plants. They are weighed down on the edges with dirt and/or rocks and make a cozy microclimate in which the plants thrive. The trapped heat absorbed from the sun protects the plants from freeze events. Another current deviation in traditional strawberry production is plasticulture. Today’s strawberries are grown on raised beds covered with plastic. This helps keep the roots warm and moist and protects the plants from direct contact with soil-borne diseases.
Strawberries, formerly called heart berries, are endemic to North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Historically two primary types grew in the United States. Fragaria vesca (woodland strawberry) and Fragaria virginiana (wild strawberry). F. vesca, found in the Northern states ranging from the east to west coasts and central western states is also native to Europe. F. virginiana is more prevalent in the US and found in all the lower 48 states as well as Alaska. Both species are smaller and sweeter than modern cultivated varieties. The French are attributed with being the first to attempt cultivation in home gardens around the 14’th century. Perhaps, King Charles V, fetish for strawberries helped to jump start the effort. He had 1,200 strawberry plants transplanted from the wild into the Royal Gardens at Louvre. Strawberries were also a favorite of King Louise XIV who wanted as many different species as possible grown in his garden at Versailles. During the 1600’s F. virginiana (commonly dubbed the Virginia strawberry) was taken from the New World to Europe and began to slowly spread throughout Europe, gaining popularity by the 1800’s. During a mapping expedition, a French spy Fracois Amédée Frezier discovered a large white Chilean strawberry Fragaria chiloensis. He was so enamored with the large fruit which he described as large as walnuts that he brought some back to France. The Virginia strawberry and the Chilean strawberry grown side by side in European gardens eventually cross pollinated and the result was Fragaria x ananassa. Fragaria is Latin for sweet and ananassa is derived from the word Ananas which is the pineapple genus. The bloom of the Chilean strawberry was said to have a pineapple fragrance.
Eventually, Fragaria x ananassa made its way back across the Atlantic to the Americas. The first strawberry hybrid developed in the USA was “Hudson” in 1780. In 1834 the first strawberry variety in America named “Hovey” was developed from the first planned cross, by Charles Hovey. This is a parent of all modern-day varieties. , Over the years the plants have been hybridized, crossed and back crossed to develop more hardy, higher yielding, and pest resistant varieties. Three different types of strawberries; everbearing, day neutral, and June bearing; have been developed for different regions of the country. Everbearing strawberries produce a large crop of berries in the spring and a second crop in the fall. Day neutral strawberries are not sensitive to day length but rather temperature dependent and will flower and fruit when temperatures are between specific temperatures. Everbearing and Day neutral varieties were developed for northern and western areas and are not conducive to our hot, humid environment. June bearing types produce one large crop each year, have numerous runners and are easily propagated. They are more suitable to the coastal plains of South Carolina and are commonly grown as an annual system by commercial growers. They are planted in September or October, quickly establish roots, and develop crowns. As temperatures begin to cool down in late November development slows, and the plants wait patiently during the cold short days of winter until the warmth of spring to burst forth in bloom, set fruit and ripen, typically in April and May the in coastal plains of SC.
The wild heart shaped berries in North America typically ripened in June and were held in such high esteem by the Native Americans that they named the first full moon in June “strawberry moon,” because it marked the season for strawberry harvest. The Algonquin name for the berries meant “seeded heart berry” and they held both cultural and spiritual significance to them. Native Americans ate the berries fresh, dried, and ground them into a pulp which they mixed with cornmeal to make strawberry bread, a precursor to today’s short bread. They also brewed the leaves into a tea which they believed had many medicinal uses including blood purification. The ancient Romans also recognized strawberries as having medicinal value and used it to cure various ailments including kidney stones, depression, and a sore throat. Strawberries have been a symbol of love dating back to the ancient Greeks. European cultures associated them with fertility and purity whereas the Asians thought they were symbols of good luck and prosperity. The heart berries have been used in perfumes and one famous Madame in Emperor Napolean’s court bathed in Strawberry Juice. She reportedly used 22 lbs. of strawberries per bath.
Today, China is the top producer of strawberries worldwide and the United States is second. California produces 91% of the total US strawberry crop. (NASS 2021). Consumption of strawberries in the US has been steadily increasing in recent years. More than 53% of American children aged 7-9 voted strawberries as their favorite fruit. This spring look for a fresh market near you and purchase a fresh batch of strawberries or for a more rewarding experience find a local U-pick and take your family out to pick them. As you are picking think about indigenous people that historically gathered the wild type berries and prepared them as strawberry bread. Bring the berries home and treat yourself to a bowl of ice cream garnished with fresh strawberries. Relax and pretend that you are a member of King Henry VIII court tasting the combined delicacy created by Thomas Wolsey for the first time. The rich history, culture and tradition of the strawberry is as intertwined as the straw used to protect them. Upon reflection the name strawberry derived from “strewian” is the best name for the heart berries that are strewn about the ground and spread around the globe.
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