Beach Strawberry Sand Strawberry

Beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis, Rosaceae) is a broadleaf evergreen groundcover native to Pacific coasts of North and South America and Hawaii, reaching about 1 foot tall with indefinite spread via stolons. Dark green, glossy compound leaves have three oval toothed leaflets (2.5 to 5 centimeters) that may turn red in fall. Five-petaled white flowers (about 2 centimeters) bloom in spring to early summer, followed by edible red-surfaced, white-fleshed berries that may not always set in garden conditions.

Beach strawberry grows in full sun on moist soils, hardy in Zones 4a to 8b. Growth is fast. Disease pressure is significant, with 21 documented associations including red stele, gray mold, anthracnose, crown rot, and verticillium wilt. Pest associations (9 documented) include spotted-wing drosophila, root weevil, spider mite, and aphids. WSU HortSense documents cultivar resistance to red stele in 'Hood,' 'Olympus,' 'Rainier,' 'Shuksan,' and 'Totem.'