Fragaria ananassa， commonly known as the strawberry or garden strawberry， is a hybrid species that is cultivated worldwide for its fruit， the common strawberry. It is also called the pineapple strawberry， or ananas strawberry.The fruit (which is not a botanical berry， but an aggregate accessory fruit) is widely appreciated for its characteristic aroma， bright red color， juicy texture， and sweetness. It is consumed in large quantities， either fresh or in prepared foods such as preserves， fruit juice， pies， ice creams， and milkshakes. Artificial strawberry aroma is also widely used in many industrialized food products.

The garden strawberry was first bred in Brittany， France， in the 1750s via a cross of Fragaria virginiana from eastern North America and Fragaria chiloensis， which was brought from Chile by Amédée-Fran?ois Frézier in 1714.

The strawberry is， in technical terms， an aggregate accessory fruit， meaning that the fleshy part is derived not from the plant's ovaries but from the receptacle that holds the ovaries.Each apparent "seed" (achene) on the outside of the fruit is actually one of the ovaries of the flower， with a seed inside it.In both culinary and botanical terms， the entire structure is considered a fruit.

Strawberry cultivars vary widely in size， color， flavor， shape， degree of fertility， season of ripening， liability to disease and constitution of plant.Some vary in foliage， and some vary materially in the relative development of their sexual organs. In most cases， the flowers appear hermaphroditic in structure， but function as either male or female.[6] For purposes of commercial production， plants are propagated from runners and， in general， distributed as either bare root plants or plugs. Cultivation follows one of two general models， annual plasticultureor a perennial system of matted rows or mounds.A small amount of strawberries are also produced in greenhouses during the off season.

The bulk of modern commercial production uses the plasticulture system. In this method， raised beds are formed each year， fumigated， and covered with plastic to prevent weed growth and erosion. Plants， usually obtained from northern nurseries， are planted through holes punched in this covering， and irrigation tubing is run underneath. Runners are removed from the plants as they appear， in order to encourage the plants to put most of their energy into fruit development. At the end of the harvest season， the plastic is removed and the plants are plowed into the ground.Because strawberry plants more than a year or two old begin to decline in productivity and fruit quality， this system of replacing the plants each year allows for improved yields and denser plantings.However， because it requires a longer growing season to allow for establishment of the plants each year， and because of the increased costs in terms of forming and covering the mounds and purchasing plants each year， it is not always practical in all areas.