On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. This is the latest accepted revision, reviewed on 21 January 2023. For other species of strawberry, see Fragaria. Fragaria, collectively known as the strawberries, which are strawberry applesauce worldwide for their fruit.

The strawberry is not, from a botanical point of view, a berry. The first garden strawberry was grown in Brittany, France, during the late 18th century. Prior to this, wild strawberries and cultivated selections from wild strawberry species were the common source of the fruit. The strawberry fruit was mentioned in ancient Roman literature in reference to its medicinal use.

The French began taking the strawberry from the forest to their gardens for harvest in the 14th century. Charles V, France’s king from 1364 to 1380, had 1,200 strawberry plants in his royal garden. In the early 15th century western European monks were using the wild strawberry in their illuminated manuscripts. By the 16th century, references of cultivation of the strawberry became more common.

People began using it for its supposed medicinal properties and botanists began naming the different species. In England the demand for regular strawberry farming had increased by the mid-16th century. The combination of strawberries and cream was created by Thomas Wolsey in the court of King Henry VIII. Instructions for growing and harvesting strawberries showed up in writing in 1578. By the end of the 16th century three European species had been cited: F.