Monday, April 6, 2009

Garden strawberry

Garden strawberries are a common variety of strawberry cultivated worldwide. Like other species of Fragaria (strawberries), it belongs to the family Rosaceae. Technically it is not a fruit but a false fruit, meaning the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries (achenes) but from the peg at the bottom of the bowl-shaped hypanthium that holds the ovaries.

The Garden Strawberry was first bred in Europe in the early 18th century. This represents the accidental cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America which was noted for its flavor, and Fragaria chiloensis from Chile, which was noted for its large size.

Cultivars of Fragaria × ananassa have replaced in commercial production the Woodland Stawberry which was the first strawberry species cultivated in the early 17th century.

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