American woodland strawberry - Species Profile
Conservation • Wetland • Description • Habitat • Ecology • Use • Distribution • Taxonomy
Conservation Status
IUCN Red List
not listed
NatureServe
N5 - Secure
SNR - Unranked
Minnesota
not listed
Wetland Indicator Status
Great Plains
UPL - Obligate upland
Midwest
UPL - Obligate upland
Northcentral & Northeast
UPL - Obligate upland
Description
American woodland strawberry 4″ to 6″ tall, erect, perennial forb is found in the woods, hence the common name.
The leaves are three-parted and are borne on long, hairy stalks that emerge from the central taproot in the ground. The leaflets are bright green to yellowish-green, coarsely toothed, and thin. They are stalkless. The terminal tooth of the leaflet is more than half as wide and as long or longer than (protrudes beyond or equals) the two adjacent teeth. A line drawn between the tips of the two adjacent teeth passes through the terminal tooth. The lateral veins branch off of the central vein at an angle of about 45°.
The flowers sit well above the leaves. They are borne on separate, long stalks from the central taproot in the ground. The flower has 5 petals and is ½″ wide.
The fruit is an accessory fruit, not a berry. It consists of a fleshy receptacle with seed capsules (achenes) on the surface (superficial). It is slender, elongated, elliptical, and often pointed. The seed-like achenes sit on the surface of the receptacle.
Height
4″ to 6″
Flower Color
White
Similar Species
Wild strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) has larger flowers and fruit. The flowers sit at about the same height as the leaves. The leaves are narrower and more tapering. The terminal tooth is narrower (less than half as wide) and shorter (does not protrude beyond) than the two adjacent teeth. A line drawn between the tips of the two adjacent teeth passes above the terminal tooth. The seed-like achenes are positioned in shallow pits on the surface of the receptacle.
Habitat
Woodlands
Ecology
Flowering
April to June
Pests and Diseases
Use
Distribution
Sources
Biodiversity occurrence data published by: Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas (accessed through the Minnesota Biodiversity Atlas Portal, bellatlas.umn.edu. Accessed 2/11/2026).
Midwest Herbaria Portal. 2026. https://midwestherbaria.org/portal/index.php. Accessed 2/11/2026.
Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (Porter) Staudt in GBIF Secretariat (2023). GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/39omei accessed via GBIF.org. Accessed 2/11/2026.
Nativity
Native
Occurrence
Common
Taxonomy
Kingdom
Subkingdom
Pteridobiotina
Phylum
Tracheophyta (Vascular Plants)
Class
Order
Rosales (Roses, Elms, Figs, and Allies)
Family
Rosaceae (Rose)
Subfamily
Rosoideae (Brambles, Roses, Strawberries, and Allies)
Tribe
Potentilleae (Strawberries, Cinquefoils, and Allies)
Subtribe
Fragariinae (Strawberry)
Genus
Fragaria (Strawberries)
Species
Fragaria vesca (woodland strawberry)
Subordinate Taxa
Synonyms
Fragaria americana
Fragaria vesca var. americana
Common Names
American woodland strawberry










