156 THE STRAWBERRY IN NORTH AMERICA 



America to any extent was Prolific Hautbois, a bisexual 

 sort, which was found in the gardens of amateurs until 

 about 1850. F. elatior is thought by some to have entered 

 into the lineage of the modern large-fruited strawberry, 

 but this is in doubt. The species is now neglected and 

 there are no varieties of prominence. 



These four species, and several very closely related 

 forms that are designated by some botanists as distinct 

 species, are the types from which practically all progress 

 in strawberry breeding has come. Several other species 

 are of incidental value. The handsome, yellow-flowered 

 Asiatic species, F. indica, which is used as an ornamental 

 plant in the conservatories of Europe, is naturalized to 

 some extent in Europe and North America. The deep 

 red berries much resemble those of F. virginiana, but the 

 scarlet seeds project from the burnished surface, making 

 the berry very firm and seedy. The flavor, however, is 

 quite flat. A. S. Fuller, E. P. Roe, and others attempted 

 to hybridize it with edible varieties in order to secure 

 firmer berries, but w^ithout success. The flowers and fruit 

 of F. indica are produced, more or less, throughout the 

 summer, the runners bearing both leaves and flowers. 

 Some Chinese forms of F. indica are fairly palatable, but 

 the species has shown little promise thus far. 



