• Botanical name: Fragaria nubicola
• Comman Name : Himalayan Strawberry
• Family : Rosaceae
• Location : Sikkim
• Date : 19.5.2017

Facts : Herb which grows very close to the ground.- White flowers, 1.5-2.5 cm across- Himalayan Strawberry is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Burma, at altitudes of 1800-3800 m.- Flowering: April-June.

Himalayan Strawberry is a strawberry species native to the Himalayas. It is distinguished by its 1 cm round red berry and entire sepals. It is a low-growing, softly hairy perennial herb with trifoliate leaves, and long runners rooting at the nodes. White flowers, 1.5-2.5 cm across, have 5 broadly obovate petals. The 5 sepals alternate with the petals. Leaves are long-stalked, with 3 leaflets which are ovate, 2.5-4 cm long, deeply and coarsely toothed. Himalayan Strawberry is found in the Himalayas, from Pakistan to Burma, at altitudes of 1800-3800 m. Flowering: April-June.

Ignorance is bliss”. For a novice like me in the field of flora seeing any new flower or a fern unfurl was bliss. But knowing them for what they are is like going to an art exhibition where you know the artist.

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Having a great local driver for the trips changes the trip entirely. Lucky for us during our Sikkim trip last week we got an awesome guy called Pasang Sherpa, a Tibetan settled in Lachung.

As he drove us along crossing eastern Sikkim into northern Sikkim, I saw several of these white flowers along the road sides, in the corner of sloping steps, and small mud patches bending to the road. When did I notice them better ? ;-). During our Puke breaks and Pitstops as we went on winding bumpy roads ;-). Not knowing what it was, I just took a few pictures and got back into the car But Mr.Pasang said casually – ” Yeh hamara Local Strawberry Hai”. I was totally taken aback. I jumped out of my seat to check if that was true.

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No fruits, the leaves did look like a strawberry here. Imagining strawberry growing all along the roads was unfathomable, considering the amount of effort it took me to grow a few in my balcony. Ignorant me was immensely pleased as we drove to Lachung. I saw these really tiny red fruits, very very small, 1/8th the size of our regular strawberry. Pasang stopped the car and I ran to see the fruit close by. . “Wash karaoke Ka sakte hai” he said. Plucked the biggest one I could find and Oh boy was it tasty. Plucked some more from the ones hanging high on the rocks near the roads. My children loved it too.

So here is the native Himalayan Strawberry -Fragaria Nubicole – a species of strawberry native to the Himalayas.