The mock strawberry has already fooled many a hobby gardener because it looks confusingly similar to a cultivated strawberry. In view of its enchanting beauty, nobody takes offense at the resemblance of its fruits to strawberries. Are mock strawberries edible?
Untempting wholesomeness
Mock strawberries and garden strawberries both come from the rose family. Although both plants produce edible fruit, their level of edibility differs widely. The mock strawberry does not come close to the tempting pleasure of juicy-sweet cultivated strawberries. It can't even hold a candle to the small wild strawberries. After all, it is not poisonous and therefore edible, albeit with a very bitter taste.
Optics top taste
The shortcoming of their unappetizing aroma makes up for the mock strawberry with seductive attributes that are pleasing to the eye. Gardeners therefore introduced the Indian mock strawberry to Europe from Southeast Asia more than 200 years ago. Since the ornamental plant is excellent at spreading through runners, it is often found in the wild. These properties justify the high popularity of an Indian mock strawberry in the ornamental garden:
- delicate leaflets in a pretty rosette arrangement
- golden yellow flowers from May to October
- delicate fragrance attracts butterflies and bumblebees
- decorative, bright red fruits in summer and autumn
Since the false strawberry thrives in almost any soil, it adorns even problematic locations with everlasting flowers. Under trees, it serves as a tasteful groundcover or gives the dreary inner courtyard a fairytale character. Its strong foliage withstands the frosty temperatures well into winter. Here the glistening dewdrops in the morning drive away the wintry melancholy. Who cares about the bitter taste of a mock strawberry?
tips and tricks
The mock strawberry is immediately revealed as such by a special attribute. Their fruits always point towards the sky, while wild strawberries and garden strawberries hang down.