Potentilla indica

Description

The herbaceous plant spreads along creeping stolons, rooting and producing plantlets at each node. The leaves are trifoliate, dark green, and somewhat thick. The flowers are produced singly on axillary peduncles. The yellow petals of Potentilla indica have a nectar guide near the center of each petal that absorbs UV light more strongly than the rest of the petal and is visible only in the UV spectrum. The most common variety, Potentilla indica var. indica, has fruiting receptacles and achenes that are red and glossy. The rare variety D. indica f. albocaput Naruh., with white receptacles and cream achenes, has been reported only in Argentina and Japan.

|Mockstrawberry.jpg|Blossom |Duchesnea indica immature fruit.jpg|Mature fruit |Duchesnea indica MHNT.BOT.2012.10.20.JPG|Dried fruits

Invasiveness

Mock strawberry is considered invasive in some regions of the United States and Canada, where it may disrupt local ecosystems. Studies have shown that it can negatively impact the abundance of springtails and ants, affecting soil biodiversity.[[File:Potentilla_indica_(1).jpg|thumb|Potentilla indica ]]

Uses

The fresh berries are edible but considered less palatable than proper strawberries.

The cousin Potentilla fulgens is widely distributed in the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, northeastern India, where the plants are known in the Khasi as lyniangbru (and in English as "Himalayan cinquefoil"), and usage of this species extends to the Potentilla genus. Roots of Potentilla are consumed (chewed) with betel nuts by the Khasi people, and the P. indica species is also used in this way.

There is recorded ethno-medicinal usage (in northeastern India) as anthelmintic to get rid of parasites and to treat lung symptoms. A survey conducted in Assam, India from 2018-2020 documented the use of Potentilla indica by traditional healers to treat asthma. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used for clearing heat, cooling blood, detumescence, and detoxication.

Explanatory notes

References

References

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2. (2014). "Rosaceae In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online] 25+ vols". Oxford University Press.
3. (2012). "Potentilla L. (Rosaceae) and related genera in Asia (excluding the former USSR), Africa and New Guinea - Notes on Potentilla XXVIII.". Plant Diversity and Evolution.
4. (2018). "First report of Duchesnea indica f. albocaput (Rosaceae) in Northwestern Argentina". Boletín de la Sociedad Argentina de Botánica.
5. "Mock strawberry".
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8. (2024-08-14). "Potentilla indica". Wikipedia.
9. (2021). "Invasive Plants Differentially Impact Forest Invertebrates, Providing Taxon-Specific Benefits by Enhancing Structural Complexity". Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution.
10. United States Department of the Army. (2009). "The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants". [[Skyhorse Publishing]].
11. (2023). "Phytomedicines Used in Respiratory Diseases by Traditional Healers of Lakhimpur and Dhemaji Districts of Assam, India In: Arunachalam, K., Yang, X., Puthanpura Sasidharan, S. (eds) Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants". Springer, Cham.
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17. (2014). "Rosaceae In: Flora of North America Editorial Committee, eds. 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico [Online] 25+ vols". Oxford University Press.
18. (2019). "Taxonomic studies of the tribe Potentilleae (Rosaceae) in Korea". Korean Journal of Plant Taxonomy.
19. (2023). "Bioprospecting of Tropical Medicinal Plants". Springer Nature.
20. . ["''Potentilla indica'' (Andrews) Th.Wolf"](https://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:728289-1). *Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew*.
21. Weakley, Alan S.. (2024). "Flora of the southeastern United States Web App". University of North Carolina Herbarium, North Carolina Botanical Garden, Chapel Hill, U.S.A..
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