Fragaria chiloensis (L.) Duchesne, Rosaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  yes

Other Latin names:  Fragaria sandwicensis Decne. [Fragaria chiloensis subsp. sandwicensis]

Common name(s): [more details]

English: beach strawberry, Chilean strawberry, Chiloe strawberry

French: chilère, fraisier du Chili

Hawaiian: ōhelo papa

Spanish: fresa chilena, frutilla, frutilla silvestre

Habit:  herb

Description:  "Perennial herbs from stout scaly rhizomes usually 1-4 cm long, also producing long stolons. Leaves somewhat coriaceous, leaflets 2.1-5 (-6) cm long, 1.2-3.5 cm wide, upper surface with conspicuously impressed veins, glabrous or with a few scattered long hairs, lower surface densely silky long-strigose, margins coarsely serrate, sometimes only in upper 2/3, lateral petiolules 0.2-1 (-2.5) cm long, petioles (3-) 12-16 (-21) cm long, densely long-strigose, stipules brownish, 1-1.6 cm long.  Flowers 1 to several, scapes usually ca. 1/2 as long as petioles at anthesis, apparently elongating after anthesis to nearly as long as petioles, pedicels usually 20-50 mm long; epicalyx lobes narrowly lanceolate, (3-) 5-6 mm long, densely silky long-strigose; sepals lanceolate, ca. 7-8 mm long, enlarging to 9-10 mm long in fruit, densely silky long-strigose; petals white, broadly obovate, 8-11 mm long.  Fruit red, broadly conical, ca. 1-1.5 cm long, hirsutulous, achenes ca. 1.5 mm long, slightly embedded in shallow pits of the receptacle"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1103).

Habitat/ecology:  In Hawai‘i (native), "occurring in dry, disturbed areas, wet forest, and subalpine shrubland, 1,160-3,070 m"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1103).  "In Chile this species grows in the following environmental conditions:  Medium altitude up to the timber line; low altitude, interior valleys; coastal mountains, 500-2000 m; coastal areas, 0-500 m. Humid areas, with almost constant rainfall, short dry periods are possible (generally not longer than 1 month). Some shadow. some protection against direct sunlight, some shadow from vegetation, filtering about 20-40% of light; in shadow, steep slopes facing south or a vegetation cover which filters 40-80% of light"  (Chileflora).

Propagation:  Rhizomes, stolons, seed (spread by frugivorous birds).

Native range:  "Pacific coast of North America from Alaska to California, disjunct in South America from Chile to Argentina and the Juan Fernández and Hawaiian islands"  (Wagner et al., 1999; p. 1103).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más a Tierra (Robinson Crusoe Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 553)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John (2011)
Chile (offshore islands) Juan Fernández Islands	Isla Más Afuera (Alejandro Selkirk Island)	introduced invasive	Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido (2006) (p. 553)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Hawai‘i (Big) Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1103)
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Maui Island	native	Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. (1999) (p. 1103) East Maui

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Canada Province of British Columbia	Canada (British Columbia)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Chile (continental) Chile	Chile (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Oregon)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (California)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
United States (west coast) United States (west coast states)	USA (Washington)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Photos and other information from Chileflora.

Additional online information about Fragaria chiloensis is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Fragaria chiloensis as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Fragaria chiloensis may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Atkinson, Rachel/Sawyer, John. 2011. Naturalized species in the Juan Fernández Archipelago, Chile. Unpublished spreadsheet.

Belov, Michail. 2011. Chileflora (online resource).

Danton, Philippe/Perrier, Christophe/Martinez Reyes, Guido. 2006. Nouveau catalogue de la flore vaculaire de l'archipel Juan Fernández (Chile) [Nuevo catálogo de la flora vacular del Archipélago Juan Fernández (Chile)]. Acta Bot. Gallica 153(4):399-587.

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.

Wagner, Warren L./Herbst, Derral R./Sohmer, S. H. 1999. Manual of the flowering plants of Hawaii. Revised edition. Bernice P. Bishop Museum special publication. University of Hawai‘i Press/Bishop Museum Press, Honolulu. 1919 pp. (two volumes).