Talk:Mock Strawberry

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Despite the recent paper suggesting inclusion of Duchesnea in Potentilla, I would hesitate to do so, and as far as I know this classification has yet to be widely accepted. From what I've seen, Duchesnea seems to be no more close to members of Potentilla as is Fragaria, and to me it seems arbitrary to change one and not the other. And yet changing the genus of such an important group of species as Fragaria would be quite drastic and probably unpopular, particularly in the horticultural world. Personally, I think the problem is not so much that Duchesnea and Fragaria belong in Potentilla, but that Potentilla is an overly-broad genus that really should be broken down into several genera (this has been done before, and many have still placed Duchesnea within the more limited Potentilla, but as with so many issues of taxonomy at some level it begins to boil down to matters of personal taste. Anyway, I don't feel strongly enough to change the article, just noting my thoughts on the subject. Elakazal 20:44, 26 November 2005 (UTC)

The USDA still lists it as Duchesnea as well. http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=DUIN SB Johnny 11:39, 13 April 2006 (UTC)

Essential reading: Mabberley, D.J. (2002). Potentilla and Fragaria (Rosaceae) reunited. Telopea 9(4): 793-801 (downloadable from here). Note the inclusion of Fragaria, as well as Duchesnea, in Potentilla. The conclusions are robust; it is only the "political" considerations to be overcome. I consider we should follow Mabberley (maybe if not now, then when the new edition of The Plant Book comes out later this year) - MPF 09:51, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

"The Complete Wilderness Training Book" by Hugh McManners says that Duchesnea (mock strawberries) "can be fatal" if eaten. Is this true? In the article they are described as edible, but tasteless. Vultur 01:20, 26 September 2007 (UTC)