Potentilla indica explained

Potentilla indica, known commonly as mock strawberry, Indian-strawberry, or snakeberry in North America, is a flowering plant in the family Rosaceae. It has ternate foliage and an aggregate accessory fruit, similar to the true strawberries of the Fragaria genus. Unlike the white or slightly pink flowers of true strawberries, Potentilla indica has yellow flowers, as do many other Potentilla species. It is native to eastern and southern Asia, but has been introduced to many other areas as a medicinal and an ornamental plant, subsequently naturalizing in many regions worldwide.

Many sources consider this plant part of the genus Potentilla due to evidence from chloroplast genetic sequence data that the genus Duchesnea is included within Potentilla, though some still list it as Duchesnea indica.

Description

The herbaceous plant spreads along creeping stolons, rooting and producing plantlets at each node. The leaves are trifoliate, dark green, and somewhat thick. The flowers are produced singly on axillary peduncles. The yellow petals of Potentilla indica have a nectar guide near the center of each petal that absorbs UV light more strongly than the rest of the petal and is visible only in the UV spectrum.^[1] The most common variety, Potentilla indica var. indica, has fruiting receptacles and achenes that are red and glossy.^{[2] [3]} The rare variety D. indica f. albocaput Naruh., with white receptacles and cream achenes, has been reported only in Argentina and Japan.^[4]

Invasiveness

Mock strawberry is considered invasive in some regions of the United States and Canada, where it may disrupt local ecosystems^{[5] [6] [7]} . Studies have shown that it can negatively impact the abundance of springtails and ants, affecting soil biodiversity.^[8]

Uses

The fresh berries are edible but considered less palatable than proper strawberries.^[9] A survey conducted in Assam, India from 2018-2020 documented the use of Potentilla indica by traditional healers to treat asthma.^[10]

Notes and References

1. Naruhashi . Naohiro . Sugimoto . Mamoru . 1996 . The Floral Biology of Duchesnea (Rosaceae). Plant Species Biology . 11 . 2–3 . 173–184. 10.1111/j.1442-1984.1996.tb00143.x . 21 November 2024.
2. Book: Barbara Ertter . James L. Reveal . amp . Rosaceae In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online] 25+ vols ]. 2014 . Oxford University Press . 9 . 22 November 2024.
3. 10.1127/1869-6155/2012/0130-0060 . Potentilla L. (Rosaceae) and related genera in Asia (excluding the former USSR), Africa and New Guinea - Notes on Potentilla XXVIII. . Soják . Jiří . Plant Diversity and Evolution . 130 . 1–2 . 7–157 . 2012.
4. Debes . Mario A. . Orce . Ingrid G. . Luque . Ana C. . Díaz-Ricci . Juan C. . Castagnaro . Atilio P.. Arias . Marta E. . 2018 . First report of Duchesnea indica f. albocaput (Rosaceae) in Northwestern Argentina . Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica . 53 . 1 . 83–91. 10.31055/1851.2372.v53.n1.19890 . 11336/101935 . free .
5. Web site: Mock strawberry . 2024-11-23 . extension.umn.edu . en.
6. Web site: false strawberry, Potentilla indica Rosales: Rosaceae . 2024-11-23 . www.invasive.org.
7. Web site: Indian Strawberry (Mock Strawberry) . 2024-11-23 . Missouri Department of Conservation . en.
8. Landsman . Andrew P. . Schmit . John Paul . Matthews . Elizabeth R . 2021 . Invasive Plants Differentially Impact Forest Invertebrates, Providing Taxon-Specific Benefits by Enhancing Structural Complexity . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution . 9 . 10.3389/fevo.2021.682140 . free.
9. Book: . The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants . . . 2009 . 978-1-60239-692-0 . New York . 52 . en-US . 277203364.
10. Book: Gogoi. Pinki . Lungphi . Pyonim . Das . A. P. . Ayam . Victor Singh. 2023 . Phytomedicines Used in Respiratory Diseases by Traditional Healers of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji Districts of Assam, India In: Arunachalam, K., Yang, X., Puthanpura Sasidharan, S. (eds) Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants. Springer, Cham . 227–241 . 10.1007/978-3-031-28780-0_7 . 978-3-031-28780-0 . 22 November 2024 .