The Strawberry

The Strawberry

The strawberry, a fruit of the genus Fragaria, has been around for many centuries. Throughout the centuries the strawberry has been studied, cultivated, reported upon, and simply enjoyed by millions. This very abundant fruit has had a variety of uses: It has been used for medicinal purposes; for decorations throughout a person's home; and, for the pleasure of eating.

The history of the strawberry goes back as far the Romans or maybe as far as the Greeks. In the thirteenth century, the first record of the strawberry was its use as a medicinal herb. It was thought to be good for digestive upset or the curing of gout. A short time later, it was pronounced that the strawberry was unfit to eat due to the fact that they grew close to the ground and therefore the fruit was contaminated. This caused many to avoid the fruit and decreased it's popularity (see www "A Lesson in Strawberry History" ). Back during this time and the few centuries following, not only the strawberry but also many other plants were used in means of helping with the health and welfare of people. By the fifteen hundreds the cultivation of the strawberry was back underway and it had regained some of its popularity. Scientists and physicians had discovered the supposed medical uses and they then began to name many different species ( Darrow 17). By the end of the century three species had been cited, F. vesca, the common garden strawberry, F. moschata, the musk strawberry and F. viridis, the green strawberry (Darrow 19).

The history of the modern strawberry had begun. This was now the time of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Individuals of these times were growing corn, potatoes, tobacco, tomatoes, and cotton and unbeknown to them the ...

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...e of the most flavorful economic plants of the twentieth century and still will be in the many more centuries to come. It has made many wonderful dishes and has adorned many homes. What more could anyone ask for in a simple plant?

Works Cited

"A Lesson in Strawberry History". Strawberry History. http:// see www. barc.usda.gov/psi/fl/fl.html (7 May 1999).

Darrow, George M. The Strawberry History, Breeding and Physiology. New York. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1966.

"Strawberries". Strawberry history http:// see www. tina/flhtml/fun-st.html ( 7 May 1999).

"Strawberry, Historical and Horticultural Facts". http:// see www.jamm.com/strawberry/fact.html (7 May 1999).

Wilhelm, Stephen, and James E. Sagen. A History of the Strawberry From the Ancient Gardens to Modern Markets. Berkeley. University of California. Division of Agricultural Sciences. 1974.