Fragaria vesca, commonly called the wild strawberry, woodland strawberry, Alpine strawberry, Carpathian strawberry or European strawberry, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the rose family that grows naturally throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere, and that produces edible fruits. The Latin specific epithet vesca means "thin, feeble". Description Five to eleven soft, hairy white flowers are borne on a green, soft fresh-hairy stalk that usually lifts them above the leaves. The light-green leaves are trifoliate (in threes) with toothed margins. The plant spreads mostly by means of runners (stolons), but the seeds are viable and establish new populations. Taxonomy Vilmorin-Andrieux (1885) makes a distinction between wild or wood strawberries (Fragaria vesca) and alpine strawberries (Fragaria alpina), a distinction which is not made by most seed companies or nurseries, which usually sell Fragaria vesca as "alpine strawberry". Under wild or wood strawberry, Vilmorin says: Under alpine strawberry, Vilmorin says: Subspecies , Plants of the World Online accepts two subspecies in addition to the autonym, Fragaria vesca ssp. vesca: Fragaria vesca ssp. americana (Porter) Staudt Fragaria vesca ssp. bracteata (A.Heller) Staudt Ecology Typical habitat is along trails and roadsides, embankments, hillsides, stone- and gravel-laid paths and roads, meadows, young woodlands, sparse forest, woodland edges, and clearings. Often plants can be found where they do not get sufficient light to form fruit. In the southern part of its range, it can grow only in shady areas; further north it tolerates more sun. It is tolerant of a variety of moisture levels (except very wet or dry conditions). It can survive mild fires and/or establish itself after fires. Although F. vesca primarily propagates via runners, viable seeds are also found in soil seed banks and seem to germinate when the soil is disturbed (away from existing populations of F. vesca). Its leaves serve as significant food source for a variety of ungulates, such as mule deer and elk, and the fruit are eaten by a variety of mammals and birds that also help to distribute the seeds in their droppings. It is a larval host to the two-banded checkered skipper. Genomics The wild strawberry is used as an indicator plant for diseases that affect the garden strawberry. It is also used as a genetic model plant for garden strawberry and the family Rosaceae in general, due to its: very small genome size short reproductive cycle (14–15 weeks in climate-controlled greenhouses) ease of propagation. The