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Indian Strawberry

Potentilla indica

Also listed as Duchesnea indica

Found in disturbed areas, lawns, gardens, weedy clearings. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Florida. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 71%

Height
3–8 inches
Spread
1–2 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
See native alternatives

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Gray Goldenrod
    Solidago nemoralis

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Dry to average. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, spread, evergreen or deciduous

  • Hooded Blue Violet
    Viola sororia

    Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, pink, purple or white.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Wild Strawberry
    Fragaria virginiana

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: White.

    Similar growth form, height, spread

    Different: flower color

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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
February to November
Fruiting season
February to November

Recorded in 14 Florida counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including FL

Genus host records with ranges including FL · Potentilla

  • Ancylis floridanaStrawberry Leafroller
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
2Specialist beesPollen specialists
8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Potentilla

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Rosaceae
Hardiness
Zones 5a–9b
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
February
Fruit ends
November

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Duchesnea indica

Conservation status

Florida rankSNA
Global rankG5
FL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources