engleski

Distribution of the genus Fragaria in Croatia

Data from existing Croatian literature and data from our own investigations were compared with the list of Fragaria plant taxa that grow in Europe. The genus Fragaria comprises a relatively small number of species. In Europe exists only five taxa (F. moschata, F. vesca, F. virginiana, F. viridis and F. ananassa). In Croatia three of them are native (F. moschata, F. vesca and F. viridis). All species mentioned here, as well as many of their hybrids, are, or have been, cultivated for their edible fruits. The common cultivated strawberry of Europe belongs to F. ananassa. The most expanded species in Croatia is certainly F. vesca L. (wild strawberry) whose berries are gathered seasonally as wild fruits. This fruits can still be found on local fruit and vegetable markets. They often contain higher amount of nutrients and bioactive compounds in comparison to cultivated varieties. Therefore, wild strawberries gain the focus of interest owing to its beneficial effects to human health, and the large advertising campaign undertaken by pharmaceutical industry. They have also high potential for breeding programmes as a source of genes for pest resistance and adaptability to abiotic stresses and genes for improvement nutritional and sensory characteristics of fruits. Systematically, the research on the genus Fragaria species distribution in Croatia has not been carried out, and so is the case with many others wild growing fruit species in Croatia. However, because of a number of individual citations and observations, it is possible to get a quite good idea of their distribution. There have been no breeding programs or introduction of our native Fragaria species to production which is the reason why further research on their distribution is required. At the same time, collections of live native plant specimens with superior traits should be established to facilitate further research and their evaluation for breeding purposes.

Fragaria; flora; natural populations; biodiversity; Croatia

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