Are Wild Strawberries Edible or Poisonous?

Strawberries are a popular fruit commonly used in desserts. The mixed sweet and sour flavor is perfect for a variety of sweet treats including strawberries and cream and chocolate fondue.

What about wild strawberries though? We’re commonly taught that if you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it. We’re also told not to eat any strange plants that we find in our gardens or elsewhere.

Are wild strawberries edible? Yes, wild strawberries are in fact edible. The true wild strawberry is flavorful and highly nutritious, while the mock strawberry is scentless and flavorless. Neither one will do you any harm – provided, of course, you’re not allergic to strawberries.

Types of Wild Strawberry

There are two types of wild strawberry:

• A true wild strawberry
• The mock strawberry

The True Wild Strawberry

Fragaria Vesca or the wild strawberry is a member of the rose family and is common throughout the northern hemisphere. The wild strawberry can be found in a handful of different environments, including:

• Hiking trails
• Embankments
• Forests/woodlands
• Meadows

Wild strawberries are smaller than their commercial counterparts. They usually ripen in late spring or early summer. They are full of flavor, and are highly nutritious.

The Mock Strawberry

Another species of wild strawberry is the Indian strawberry or mock strawberry (Potentilla Indica). These are similar to the wild strawberry except that they have yellow flowers/blossoms whereas the true wild strawberry has white or pink flowers.

Mock strawberries also have no scent and no flavor. This means that they’re edible but not nearly as appetizing.

Conclusion

So, the final answer is yes, wild strawberries are in fact perfectly fine to eat – if you know that you’re eating wild strawberries and not something else.

The rule of: if you don’t know what it is, don’t touch it will apply until you know that it’s safe to eat/touch. In closing, I hope you guys liked the article, and found it informative.