(Wild Strawberry)
Gratitude for the Natural World
Reprinted from Ganondagan June eNews & Updates
Indigenous to North America, S:he:s-ah Ojisdadö’shä’, commonly called wild strawberry, is a ground-hugging herbaceous perennial that spreads into large colonies by runners. You can spot these plants along woodland openings, meadows, prairies, and cleared areas including roadsides. At Ganondagan you can find them along Earth is Our Mother Trail. They are identifiable by their hairy leaf which has three coarsely toothed leaflets on a single stem. In April-June they blossom with small, five-petaled white flowers with a yellow center made up of many stamens. Blossoms give way to fruits which mature to red in a much smaller size (to 1/2” and across) than fruits produced by cultivated strawberry plants. Seeds are embedded in the pits of the strawberries.
In the Haudenosaunee Creation Story, it is said that when Skywoman fell from the Sky World she brought with her a wild strawberry plant and planted it on the turtle’s back that became North America. The strawberry is celebrated each year as the leader of the berries as it is the first fruit of the season. Aside from the benefits of the fruit, the leaves and root are also used medicinally to treat various ailments including sore throats and gout.
Source: Missouri Botanical Garden
Additional source: SNI Cultural Plants and Trees – A Study of the Proposed US Rte 219 Corridor
