The
strawberry (
Fragaria × ananassa) is a widely grown
hybrid plant cultivated worldwide for its fruit. The genus
Fragaria is in the rose family,
Rosaceae. Strawberries are appreciated for their aroma, bright red colour, juicy texture, and sweetness. They are eaten either fresh or in prepared foods such as
jam,
ice cream, and
chocolates. Artificial strawberry flavourings and aromas are widely used in commercial products. Botanically, the strawberry is not a
berry, but an example of an
aggregate fruit and an
accessory fruit. Each apparent "seed" on the outside of a strawberry is actually an
achene, a botanical fruit with a seed inside it. The garden strawberry was first bred in
Brittany, France, in the 1750s via a cross of
F. virginiana, from eastern North America, and
F. chiloensis, which was brought from Chile by
Amédée-François Frézier in 1714.
Cultivars of
F. ×
ananassa have replaced the woodland strawberry
F. vesca in commercial production. In 2023, world production of strawberries exceeded ten million tons, led by China, with 40 percent of the total. These
focus-stacked photographs show two garden strawberries, one whole and one halved, that were grown in Spain.
Photograph credit: Ivar Leidus
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