This is the widespread eastern North American strawberry, an octoploid with 2n = 56 (Harrison et al. 1997; FNA 9). F. virginiana is most prolific on moderately base-rich soil in full sun with regular disturbance. It declines rapidly without some trampling or mowing, especially in urban areas, where children grow up thinking that Duschesnea is the wild strawberry. In the central Bluegrass, Short (1828-9) noted: "...not a common plant in this vicinity: it does, however, occasionally occur in old fields and road sides... In the western part of the state it constitutes a principal feature in the vegetation of the barrens; where, in situations fully exposed to the influence of the sun, its fruit becomes matured to perfection, is darker-coloured and sweeter than the strawberry of the gardens [presumably an early cultivar]." In the barrens of CHRI, Ross (1882, p. 213-215) recalled: "Here the wild strawberries grew in such profusion as to stain the horse's hoof a deep red color." Segregates of this species may not be well defined. Plants known as var. illinoensis Gray (or ssp. grayana (E. Vilmorin ex J. Gay) Staudt) predominate in Ky., but there is a need for more detailed analysis and review of potential nomenclature. F indicated that var. virginiana is more northern and tends to have shorter terminal leaflets (ca. 1.5-10 cm long versus 5-10 cm) with fewer teeth (4-8 pairs versus 8-15), and slightly shorter calyx lobes (4-8 mm long versus 5-10 mm). Colls. that match this description have been found mostly in Appalachian regions: BELL, CART, FLOY, LAUR (BEREA, KY); there may also be colls. from MCLE (KY) and WARR (DHL). More northern plants are reported to have mixed bisexual and pistillate plants in populations (Stahler et al. 1995, Bishop et al. 2010), but strictly pistillate plants have not been documented in Ky. Although some authors have nested Fragaria within Potentilla, current evidence tends to support distinction (FNA 9, W).