THE FRUTILLA. OR CHILEAN 

 STRAWBERRY 



Wilson Popenoe 

 Agricultural Explorer, U. S. Department of Agriculture 



IN THE development of our culti- 

 vated strawberries, the frutilla {Fra- 

 garia chiloensisT>Vic\\esne)\\diS played 

 a major role. Large-fruited straw- 

 berries were not known in Europe 

 previous to the introduction of this 

 species in 1714. Up to that time, 

 European horticulturists had contented 

 themselves with the native wood straw- 

 berry {F. vesca), the Hautbois {F. 

 moschata or F. elatior), and the Vir- 

 ginian ' strawberry (F. virginiana), 

 which latter was not introduced from 

 America until after 1600. All of these 

 are small-fruited, though of good flavor 

 and quality. By crossing with F. 

 chiloensis, horticultural forms were 

 developed which combined large size 

 with delicate flavor, especially in those 

 cases where F. virginiana entered into 

 the combination. The varieties thus 

 obtained were the progenitors of the 

 cultivated sorts now grown not only 

 in Europe, but also in North America 

 and elsewhere. 



Fragaria chiloensis is considered to 

 be indigenous along the Pacific coast 

 from Alaska to southern Chile, though 

 the differences which separate some of 

 the South American forms from those 

 of North America are great, and fur- 

 ther study may show that more than 

 one species is involved. Regarding its 

 occurrence in Alaska, Georgeson^ 

 writes, "It grows along the coast from 

 Muir Glacier to Prince William Sound, 

 and probably also in other places, but 

 throughout this region it is quite abun- 

 dant. Its favorite soil is the sand and 

 gravel along the old beach line just 

 above the reach of high water. It 

 here disputes the possession of the 

 surface with grasses and weeds of many 

 kinds and is quite able to hold its own 

 against them." 



Farther south, on the coast of Cali- 

 fornia, the species occurs abundantly 

 in certain parts. Albert F. Etter^ 

 says, "In this region they are found 

 only along the coastal blufTs and on 

 sand dunes on the ocean shore. Of 

 all fruit-bearing plants they are among 

 the hardiest, being able to fight for 

 existence among rough grasses and 

 weeds, battling against harsh exposure 

 and gales, and even salt spray from the 

 breakers. . . . The foliage is dark 

 green and heavy, tough and leathery 

 in texture. The blossoms are large to 

 very large, the male and female blos- 

 soms being borne on separate plants. 

 This peculiar character, however, does 

 not hold in the forms of the species 

 found in other parts, those from South 

 America being bisexual. The foliage of 

 the southern form is also very distinct, 

 being light green and fuzzy. Even such 

 close points as Cape Mendocino and 

 Point Arena have very different forms, 

 while those from Alaska would hardly 

 be recognized. The fruit varies as much 

 as the plants in difTerent regions. That 

 from Chile and Peru is very large and 

 often irregular in form, borne on long 

 trusses, and of light pink or white 

 color. ... At Point Arena the fruit 

 is borne on long trusses, is almost red, 

 and is soft and fragile. At Cape Mendo- 

 cino the fruit is pink, and borne on a 

 very short truss." 



EARLY HISTORY IN SOUTH AMERICA 



Nowhere in North America is Fra- 

 garia chiloensis a cultivated plant. On 

 the western coast of South America, 

 however, it forms, in certain regions, 

 an important culture, and has done so 

 for several centuries. Frezier, who 

 introduced the species into Europe, 

 wrote in 1 7 1 7 of its occurrence in Chile,^ 



iGeorgeson, C. C. Annual Report, Alaska Exp. Sta., 1909. 



2 Ettersburg Strawberries, published by the author at Ettersburg, California, 1920. 



3 Frezier, M. Relation du Voyage de la Mer du Sud. Amsterdam, 1717. 



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