Indian Mock-Strawberry

Duchesnea indica

Weed Description
Perennial from stolons often found in shady locations. Primarily a weed of landscapes and turfgrass found throughout the southeastern United States.

Seedlings
Cotyledons slightly thickened, with hairs along the margins only. First two or three leaves simple, subsequent leaves trifoliate. Stolons develop at least by the time the fifth leaf emerges.

Leaves
Each leaf is composed of three leaflets (trifoliolate). Leaflets are ovate to elliptic, 3/4-3 inches long, 1/3-1 1/2 inches wide, hairy, with rounded teeth (crenate). Individual leaflets are connected to the much longer petiole by very small petiolules (1-6 mm long). Petioles are also hairy.

Stems
Stolons are hairy and creeping.

Flowers
Occur alone on long stalks (peduncles) that arise from the region between the stem and leaf petioles (leaf axils). Flowers consist of 5 yellow petals with large leafy sepals beneath.

Fruit
A red, fleshy, berry, similar to the commercially produced strawberries. The surface of the fruit contains many small pits (achenes).

Roots
Stolons.

Identifying Characteristics
Creeping plants from stolons with trifoliolate leaves and distinctive strawberry-like berry. This weed is similar in appearance to Wild Strawberry (Frageria virginiana), but wild strawberry has leaflets with pointed teeth on the upper 2/3 to 3/4 of the leaflet only. Additionally, wild strawberry has white flowers, unlike the yellow flowers of Indian mock-strawberry. Certain Cinquefoil species (Potentilla spp.) may also resemble this weed, however Sulfur (Potentilla recta L.) and Oldfield Cinquefoil (Potentilla simplex Michx.) have 5 leaflets rather than 3 leaflets of Indian mock-strawberry.

Office of Programs

University of Missouri

Indian Mock-Strawberry

Duchesnea indica