110 TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



Fragaria Collina. — The green Pineapple strawberry. 



Fragaria elatior. — The Hautbois strawberry. 



Asia presents us with but one species, hermaphrodite, Fragaria Indica, 

 with yellow blossoms, fruit not edible. 



South America possesses two species, both of which have large foliage 

 and flowers, with fruit of remarkable size and excellent flavor. The flowers 

 comprise two sexual divisions. 



Fragaria grandifiora. — The Pine strawberry. 



Fragaria Ghilensis. — The Chili strawberry. 



North America affords us six species, thus demonstrating her great supe- 

 riority in regard to the Fragaria as she does in regard to the Vitis or grape 

 family. These species are very distinct in character from all the European 

 and South American species, and produce fruit varying from a medium to 

 a very large size. All these species are originally of the same sexual cha- 

 racter, and distinct in this respect from all the other species of our globe. 

 Each species comprises plants of two distinct natural characters: first, 

 hermaphrodite or bisexual ; second, pistillate or female. Plants of these two 

 divisions may be found in every forest, from the northern limits of Mexico 

 to the Arctic zone. Of the hermaphrodite section there are two natural 

 divisions: the one combining the stamens and pistils in the same flower; 

 the other producing some peduncles of entirely bisexual, and others of 

 entirely pistillate flowers. The North American species are: 



Fragaria Virginiana vel Canadensis. — Scarlet strawberry. 



Fragaria Hudsonica. — Hudson's Bay or Arctic strawberry. 



Fragaria loivensis. — Iowa strawberry. 



Fragaria lUinoiensis. — Illinois strawberry 



Fragaria lucida. — California strawberry. 



Fragaria sericea,oiI)ong\^ss. | Oregon strawberry. 



Fragaria Chilensis, of iorrey and Grey, j ^ "^ 



It is a most striking evidence of the universal providence of nature that, 

 when in any of the Fragaria species the male organs of the hermaphrodite 

 variety are imperfect, nature, ever provident, furnishes the male or stami- 

 nate variety to supply the deficiency; and when, in any species, the female 

 organs of the hermaphrodite are defective, nature presents us with the pis- 

 tillate or female variety. But when any species like the Fragaria vesca, 

 Collina and Indica are perfect in both organs, throughout all their varieties, 

 nature, ever economical of her resources, gives us none other than herma- 

 phrodites. The fish in the subterranean lake of Kentucky have no eyes ! 



Most persons suppose that all strawberries will hybridize with each 

 other, and there has been no European or American writer on this subject 

 who has not inculcated this erroneous idea until I controverted the fiction 

 in toto in the Horticulturist, of January last. The facts there stated I had 

 very long since recognized, but had not previously found time and a suit- 

 able opportunity to enunciate. It is now two hundred and fifty years since 

 the first interchange of European and American strawberries, and during 

 this entire period there has never been produced a single hybrid between 

 the species of the two hemispheres, nor between the three species which 

 are natives of Europe. 



The six North American species blend sexually with each other, and the 



