Strawberry
My small wild ancestors are found in temperate areas all over the Old World.
The Romans cultivated me as early as 200 BC and in mediaeval times I was regarded as an aphrodisiac. Mixed with borage and soured cream, I was made into a soup served to newly-weds.
In Christian art, my trifoliate leaves were used to symbolise The Holy Trinity. Pagan tradition echoes this in that the three leaves are thought to represent the three-fold Earth or Mother Goddess.
In Victorian flower language, my berry symbolizes perfection and “sweetness in life and character.”
Native Americans thought that my wild berries were “a special gift of Creation” to children and women.
