barren strawberry


noun
  1. a low-growing plant, Waldsteinia fragarioides, of the rose family, native to north temperate regions, having long stalks with three toothed leaflets and yellow flowers.

Origin of barren strawberry

1
An Americanism dating back to 1890–95; so called because the fruit is dry and inedible

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use barren strawberry in a sentence

  • Dog-violets, barren strawberry, and the yellowish-green spurge are in flower there now.

    The Hills and the Vale | Richard Jefferies
  • Neither is there any demand for the white barren strawberry blossom, or the purplish ground-ivy among the finely marked fern moss.

    Field and Hedgerow | Richard Jefferies
  • One tiny white flower of barren strawberry has ventured to bloom.

    The Open Air | Richard Jefferies