mock strawberry (Potentilla indica) observed in Rowley Rd, Clarksville, MD, US
iNaturalist: sibecke
Invasive Species
Mock strawberry creeping through your lawn or garden bed is easy to overlook as a weed — but its look-alike fruits and low sprawling habit make it a useful ground cover to recognize before it quietly takes over a shady corner.
Someone found a mock strawberry growing along a road in Clarksville, Maryland, and the iNaturalist community confirmed what it was. Mock strawberry is a plant originally from Asia that looks a lot like a wild strawberry — same red berries, same leaf shape — but the berries are tasteless compared to the real thing. It spreads on its own through lawns and garden edges, especially in shady or moist spots.
Key Findings
Observation achieved 'research-grade' status on iNaturalist, meaning multiple community members agreed on the identification.
Location is Rowley Rd, Clarksville, MD — suburban/roadside habitat typical of this species' spread pattern.
Mock strawberry (Potentilla indica) is a non-native species from South and East Asia naturalized widely across North America.
chevron_right Technical Summary
A mock strawberry plant was spotted and confirmed by the iNaturalist community in Clarksville, Maryland. This non-native ground cover from Asia produces strawberry-like fruits that are edible but bland, and it spreads readily in lawns and disturbed areas.
Abstract Preview
Research-grade observation of mock strawberry in Rowley Rd, Clarksville, MD, US.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Potentilla indica, known commonly in as false strawberry, mock strawberry, Indian strawberry, wild strawberry, is a flowering plant in the family Rosaceae, native to West Asia to India, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. It has ternate foliage and an aggregate accessory fruit, similar to true strawbe...