Duchesnea indica Harlequin - Indian Strawberry seeds

Duchesnea indica 'Harlequin', also known as Fragaria indica 'Harlequin' or Indian Strawberry, is an adorable small semi-evergreen perennial plant with a creeping and stoloniferous growth habit and dentate leaves variegated with cream. It blooms in spring and early summer with yellow strawberry-like flowers soon followed by ornamental red fruits, resembling wild strawberries but without the flavour. Perfect for containers or hanging baskets, it will quickly cascade between rocks in rockeries and make a good fast-growing ground cover. Not demanding on soil quality, this plant thrives in partial shade.

Duchesnea or Potentilla indica is a stoloniferous plant from the rose family native to Asia. In its country of origin, it colonizes riverbanks and damp woodlands. Introduced to Europe long ago, this small false strawberry has become sometimes invasive, to the point of outcompeting our wild woodland strawberry.The 'Harlequin' variety forms 10cm (3.9in) tall mats, spreading rapidly thanks to stoloniferous stems forming rosettes and rooting upon contact with the ground. Its semi-evergreen leaves are divided into 3 to 5 toothed leaflets, their dark green colour is variegated with white-cream. Flowering occurs from April to June. The foliage is adorned with small yellow strawberry-like flowers, which are accompanied by red fruits when ripe, resembling wild strawberries. However, they are upright while the wild strawberry hangs on its peduncle. These fruits are edible, relatively dry, and have an unpleasant taste, far from the flavour of our wild fruits.