Hortus Botanicus Leiden, Netherlands

Common name: Bosaardbei, Wild strawberry, fraisier sauvage, fresa silvestre

Family: Rosaceae (Rose family)

Distribution: Europe

Hardiness: Zone 05

Life form: Perennial

Comments: Medieval Plants Tour - Both the medieval name and the modern Dutch name for the strawberry, ‘ertbesie’ and ‘aardbei’, mean ‘earth berry’. A plant that creeps so closely over the earth, with fruits that hang so close to the ground, must surely be a humble plant, which is why medieval paintings sometimes portray the humble Virgin Mary or the Christ Child holding a strawberry. The strawberry held by the Christ Child can also symbolise the blood that was shed during his suffering on the cross. Because the strawberry leaf is composed of three sections, it was regarded as symbolic of the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The strawberry often features in the works of the medieval painter Hieronymus Bosch, for instance, in his ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’. Medieval physicians thought that the strawberry could cure cataracts and heal wounds, and strawberry juice with honey was thought to relieve pain in the spleen.