Fragaria vesca, SE: Smultron, DE: Wald-Erdbeere,
NL: Bosaardbei, UK: Woodland Strawberry

Scientific name:		Fragaria vesca L.
Swedish name:		Smultron, skogssmultron
German name:		Wald-Erdbeere
Nederlandse naam:		Bosaardbei
English name:		Woodland Strawberry
Plant Family:		Rosaceae, Rosväxter, Rose family

Life form:		Perennial, spread by runners
Stems:		Finely haired stems
Leaves:		Tri-foliate, dentate
Flowers:		5-Petaled white with yellow centers; flowers are followed by edible, bright red strawberries
Flowering Period:		May-June
Fruits:		Berries, covered with tiny green seeds, which are typically no bigger than a pin point
Habitat:		woods, thickets, pastureland, meadows, farmland and settlements

Derivation of the botanical name: Fragaria,fragrare "to be fragrant". The earliest record is Latin fraga "strawberries" (Vergil-Publius Vergilius Maro (70-19 BCE)) vesca, vesc, "small, slender, feeble, wavering". The standard author abbreviation L. is used to indicate Carl Linnaeus (1707 – 1778), a Swedish botanist, physician, and zoologist, the father of modern taxonomy. John Culpeper (1366–1414) regarded strawberries as a cooling remedy. Strawberries have astringent, diuretic and laxative properties. The berries are very common and have been used against rheumatic gout, while the root has been employed against diarrhoea. The leaves have similar properties and have been used against dysentry. Fresh strawberries can whiten the teeth by leaving the juice on for five minutes and then rinsing with warm water and bicarbonate of soda.