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Waldsteinia fragarioides

Barren Strawberry · Appalachian Barren Strawberry

Family RosaceaeGenus Waldsteinia

Also published as Geum fragarioides, Dalibarda fragarioides. You are in the right place.

A carpet of three-part toothed green leaves with a few small yellow five-petalled flowers
FlowerReuven MartinCC0
A color plate of a low plant with three-parted strawberry-like leaves and small yellow five-petalled flowers on slender stalks, rooted in soil.
IllustrationHomer D. House, New York State Botanist. Walter B. Starr of the Matthews-Northrup Company, Buffalo, and Harold H. Snyder of the Zeese-Wilkinson Company, New York, photographers.Public domain

About the plant

What it is and where it grows — not part of any germination protocol.

The plant

Habit
Herbaceous perennialPlant Finder
Habit
perennialPlants of the World Online
Height
0.25-0.5 ft10-15 cmPlant Finder
Spread
0.5-1 ft15-30 cmPlant Finder
Flower
Showy; yellowPlant Finder
Blooms
April to MayPlant Finder
Native range
Eastern United StatesPlant Finder
Hardiness zones
4-7Plant Finder
Note
GBIF moves this species to Geum; WFO, POWO and Plant Finder keep WaldsteiniaGBIF Backbone Taxonomy

Growing conditions

Sun
Full sun to part shadePlant Finder
Soil
Average, medium, well-drained; prefers humusy and slightly acidicPlant Finder
Soil pH
Acid (<6.0)Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Moisture
Good Drainage, Moist, Occasionally DryExtension Gardener Plant Toolbox
Watering
MediumPlant Finder

Toxicity is noted only where a source states it. No note here is not a finding of safety.

Sources: Plant Finder — Missouri Botanical Garden; Plants of the World Online — Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox — NC State Extension; GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Worth knowing

  • This groundcover spreads only by slow rhizomes just under the soil, with no runners above ground. It is listed as endangered in Connecticut, Illinois and Maine, and as threatened in New Hampshire. Wikipedia: Waldsteinia fragarioides

This source reports three treatments. All are shown.

Protocol 1

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Low Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 28, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

No stated waiting before sowing. Then 98 days to germinate.

95% germination in 28–98 days.

95%, but drawn out over ten weeks with the rush of it in the eleventh. Light, and patience.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, WaldsteiniaPublic domain
Show the original text
Waldsteinia (Rosaceae). W. fragrarioides requires light. Seeds germ. 70L(95% in 4-14 w with a sharp maximum in rate in the 11th w), 40-70L(58% in 2-5 w with a maximum in the rate in the 3rd w), and none in any dark treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Waldsteinia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 2

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

Difficulty Moderate Rated by us, not by the source.

Start around December 1, 2026 for a May 3 last frost.

  1. Cold moist stratification

    Duration: 90 daysTemperature: 40°F 4°C

    Deno gives no length for this period; three months is his standard cycle.

  2. Sow on the surface — do not cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: light

about 3 months from start to sowing. Then 35 days to germinate.

58% germination in 14–35 days.

A cold period cuts the wait from fourteen weeks to five, and costs 37 points of germination.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, WaldsteiniaPublic domain
Show the original text
Waldsteinia (Rosaceae). W. fragrarioides requires light. Seeds germ. 70L(95% in 4-14 w with a sharp maximum in rate in the 11th w), 40-70L(58% in 2-5 w with a maximum in the rate in the 3rd w), and none in any dark treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Waldsteinia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record, except the difficulty rating, which is ours; the step names come from a fixed list.

Protocol 3

DerivedN. C. Deno, 1993

  1. Sow and cover

    Temperature: 70°F 21°C Light: dark

    Nothing.

No stated waiting before sowing.

0% germination.

Nothing in any dark treatment. Deno opens the entry with it: this one requires light.

Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed. — N. C. Deno, 1993 · Ch. 20, WaldsteiniaPublic domain
Show the original text
Waldsteinia (Rosaceae). W. fragrarioides requires light. Seeds germ. 70L(95% in 4-14 w with a sharp maximum in rate in the 11th w), 40-70L(58% in 2-5 w with a maximum in the rate in the 3rd w), and none in any dark treatment.
Seed Germination Theory and Practice, 2nd ed., Ch. 20, Waldsteinia. Quoted exactly. Every value on this card comes from this record; the step names come from a fixed list.

How each step is done, in Deno’s words, and what Verified and Derived mean.

Germination trials

Readers’ own records of sowing this species, published after review. Share your trial · All trials

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