Exactly what type of plant is a strawberry plant?

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Strawberries are one of the most easily recognizable fruits in the world. Due to their adaptability, they grow on all inhabited continents and actually thrive in temperate regions around the world. But, these strawberry plants are usually taken for granted. They are not trees. They are not bushes. Have you ever stopped to think what a strawberry plant really is?

well the genes fragaria and all the species that fall within it are classified as Herbs or Herbs. There are two main characteristics that strawberries have that make them fall into this classification.

First, like all other herbaceous plants, they are vascular plants but do not have a significant amount of above-ground woody tissue to support vertical growth. This lack of rigid, woody tissue is why strawberry plants won’t grow much more than a foot tall, even under ideal conditions. The stems of the plant simply cannot stand upright. While non-herb/grass plants will thicken and support the bulk of the plant (think oak), strawberries would collapse if they grew too large.

Second, the presence of perennial buds within the crowns of the plants further pushes them to be classified as a weed/grass. Perennial flower buds are buds that form during August and September of the year before budding as a flower that will later be pollinated and develop into luscious red fruit. The buds form before the harsh temperatures that winter brings and before the plant dies back to ground level. During the winter, the plants and flower buds are dormant, but as soon as the warmer temperatures arrive in late winter or early spring, the flower buds sprout to be pollinated as new strawberry flowers.

These two traits (lack of vascular woody tissue and the presence of perennial shoots) are what make strawberry plants a herb. But really, does anyone think about the classification of plants while eating a strawberry? Of course not. The taste is the focus!

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