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Barren Strawberry

Waldsteinia fragarioides (wald-STINE-ee-uh fray-gare-ee-OY-deez)

Family: Rosaceae Native Groundcover (<1 ft)

Barren Strawberry is perennial, evergreen wildflower that can be used as groundcover and is native to Eastern Canada and United States. It can be found naturally in forests and streambanks. Small yellow flowers grow where there are woods, thickets, and clearings. Endangered in parts of its' range.

Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox ↗ NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, 39 attributes.

How it fits the guild

Guild layer 5 - Groundcover (<1 ft) Optimal soil pH Acid (<6.0)
See companions & conflicts ↓

Companions & Conflicts

Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.

No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.

Also noted by NC State

Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.

Full plant profile

Growing Conditions
Plant type
Herbaceous Perennial; Native Plant; Wildflower
Life cycle
Perennial
USDA zones
3a, 3b, 4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b
Light
Dappled Sunlight (Shade through upper canopy all day) | Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
Soil texture
Clay; High Organic Matter; Loam (Silt)
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)
Soil drainage
Good Drainage | Moist | Occasionally Dry
Available space
12 inches-3 feet; 3 feet-6 feet
NC region
Piedmont
Mature size
Height: 0 ft. 3 in. - 0 ft. 6 in. | Width: 0 ft. 1 in. - 1 ft. 0 in.
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
5 - Groundcover (<1 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Creeping
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Green
Leaf type
Compound (Pinnately , Bipinnately, Palmately)
Leaf margin
Lobed; Serrate
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Long-stalked evergreen leaf with three 1-2 in. wedge-shaped, toothed leaflets
Flower color
Gold/Yellow
Flower shape
Radial
Flower size
< 1 inch
Flower detail
Yellow flowers on a leafless stalk; five petals and sepals. Flowers bloom March-May.
Bloom time
Spring
Fruit detail
Fruits are available March-June.
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Attracts
Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Spring; Summer
Landscape Use
Landscape location
Woodland
Landscape theme
Native Garden
Garden tags
#creeping #stolons #evergreen #groundcover #native garden #mammals #NC native #native wildflower #bird friendly #Audubon #NC Native Pollinator Plant #wildflower

Planted at Hunnicutt

Nobody’s planted this one yet.