Botanical Name: Fragaria moschata
Family: Rosaceae
Genus: Fragaria
Species: F. moschata
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Rosales
Synonyms: Fragaria elatior.
Common Names: Hautbois Strawberry, Musk strawberry, French Name : Hautboy strawberry
Habitat : Fragaria moschata grow wild to a limited extent in the forests of Central Europe, north into Scandinavia, and east into Russia. The musk strawberry is found growing along the edges of forests and requires moist and sheltered sites since they do not tolerate temperature fluctuations.
Description:
Fragaria moschata is a perennial plant, growing to 0.5 m (1ft 8in). It is not frost tender. It is in flower from Apr to July, and the seeds ripen from Jun to August. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects.
All strawberries have a base haploid count of 7 chromosomes. Fragaria moschata is hexaploid, having three pairs of these chromosomes for a total of 42 chromosomes.
Cultivation:
Prefers a fertile, well-drained, moisture retentive soil in a sunny position. Tolerates semi-shade though fruit production will be reduced. Another report says that this species prefers shade. Succeeds in acid and alkaline soils. Likes a mulch of pine or spruce leaves. At one time this species was widely cultivated for its edible fruit, but it is fairly low yielding and has now been almost totally superseded by cultivars of F. x. ananassa. There are some named varieties. The flowers are usually unisexual. (This report does not say if the plants are dioecious or monoecious.) This species produces few or no stolons.
Propagation:
Seed – sow early spring in a greenhouse. The seed can take 4 weeks or more to germinate. The seedlings are very small and slow-growing at first, but then grow rapidly. Prick them out into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out during the summer. Division of runners, preferably done in July/August in order to allow the plants to become established for the following years crop. They can also be moved in the following spring if required, though should not then be allowed to fruit in their first year. The runners can be planted out direct into their permanent positions.
Edible Uses: ….Fruit eaten raw. Sweet and succulent. The fruit is small but has an excellent flavour and is very aromatic. It is greatly superior to the cultivated strawberries, but is not very freely produced
Medicinal Uses: Not known.
Other Uses: An excellent ground cover plant, spreading vigorously by means of surface stolons and forming a dense carpet of growth. It grows well amongst shrubs but is likely to suffocate smaller plants.
Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musk_strawberry
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Fragaria+moschata
