Scientific Name: Duchesnea indica (syn. Potentilla indica)
Family: Rosaceae (roses)

Description
Indian, or mock strawberry, is a weedy, ground-hugging plant that roots from runners. The flowers are solitary, arising from leafy joints along the stems, with 5 leafy bracts at the base of the flower that are toothed and larger than the sepals. Petals 5, yellow. Blooms April–June. Leaves compound with 3 parts; leaflets coarsely toothed, each with its own small stalk; leaves and stems sparsely hairy. Fruits resemble miniature strawberries, but they are not juicy and lack flavor. The fruits are produced April–June, and sporadically through September.

Size
Flowering height: to about 2˝ inches; stem length: to more than 1 foot long. Flower size: 1/2 inch.

Although they now grow "naturally" throughout the state of Missouri and are viewed as a natural wildflower or a weed (depending on your viewpoint), the Indian (mock) strawberry plant is originally from southeastern Asia, hence its taxonomic name "indica," which means "from India." They can also be found in Japan, China, and Indonesia. They were introduced to the United States as an ornamental flower, but because of their rapid growth and expansion, they quickly became a formidable weed. Some garden centers will still sell them as an ornamental ground cover. On the other hand, other garden centers will happily sell people herbicides to kill them off. Wildflower or weed? You decide. The one above was found growing "wild."