Potentilla indica Seeds | Mock Strawberry

Yellow five-petalled flowers and small red fruit of Mock Strawberry (Potentilla indica) — Mock Strawberry (*Potentilla indica*): Rosaceae, a creeping ground cover of Asian origin, now a widespread garden weed.

LATIN NAME: Potentilla indica

COMMON NAME: Mock Strawberry

Plant Profile

Mock strawberry is a low, creeping perennial of the rose family, native to southern and eastern Asia and now widespread as a weed of lawns, paths and shaded banks. It spreads by long runners that root at the nodes, forming a dense mat of three-part leaves.

Its flowers are bright yellow, unlike the white flowers of a true strawberry, and the small red fruit is bland and seedy. The fruit looks convincing enough that children pick it, which is how the plant got its common name. The plant is evergreen in mild winters, and its leaves keep their colour in deep shade.

Science & Biotechnology

The species was long placed in its own genus, Duchesnea, and was moved into Potentilla after molecular work showed it nested within that group, a change that illustrates how DNA evidence has reshaped plant classification. Research has looked at its fruit pigments and at the way it spreads vegetatively.

Its ability to root at every node makes it hard to control in turf, and studies of lawn weeds have measured how quickly it covers bare ground. The plant’s chemistry has also been examined, since it contains tannins and flavonoids used in local medicine. In parts of North America it is listed as an invasive ground cover in lawns and woodland gardens.

Uses & Benefits

It is grown as ground cover in difficult shade, where its mat suppresses weeds and its yellow flowers and red fruit give some interest through summer. The fruit is edible but tasteless, and it is best left to the birds.

In Chinese medicine the whole plant is used externally for swellings, and it has a folk reputation as a cooling herb. In the garden it is useful under shrubs where nothing else will grow, but it needs watching, since it will move into a lawn within a season.

Its runners make it a good plant for stabilising a shady bank, and it tolerates foot traffic better than most ground covers. It is also grown in containers, where its spread is limited and its fruit hangs over the rim. It also grows well in a hanging basket, where its runners hang over the edge.

Growing from Seed

Sow in spring at 15-20C, barely covering the seed. Plant out in shade or part shade in any soil, and water until established. Seed can be sown at any time in a warm frame, and the seedlings grow quickly. In a lawn, the plant is controlled by regular mowing and by improving the drainage, since it thrives in damp, compacted ground.

It spreads quickly by runners, so give it a confined space or accept that it will travel. Remove runners if it moves into places where it is not wanted, and mow the edge of a lawn to keep it out.

Our Take

A tough, useful ground cover for shade, and a weed everywhere else. Grow it where its spread is an asset and its bland fruit does not matter.

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