Morphology of stolons in species of the genus Fragaria L.

A morphological analysis of the stolon branching pattern has been performed for several species of the genus Fragaria  L. from the VIR collection. It was revealed that two diploid species, F. viridis (Duchesne) Weston and F. yezoensis Hara, exhibit monopodial stolon branching, in which each internode after the first basal scale-like leaf on the stolon ends in a rosette. The remaining studied species have sympodial stolon branching, which can be divided into two subgroups. In F. orientalis Losinsk., F. moschata (Duchesne) Weston, F. virginiana (Duchesne) Mill., F. mandshurica Staudt, and F. vesca L., an additional axillary stolon forms in the axil of the first scale-like leaf on the stolon, and the next internode on the first-order stolon ends in a shortened shoot (brachyblast) with a rosette of leaves. Then, a second-order stolon forms again at the next node of the first-order stolon. In the second subgroup, which includes F. chiloensis (L.) Mill. subsp. chiloensis , F. chiloensis subsp. pacifica Staudt, F. × ananassa (Weston) Duchesne ex Rozier, F. iturupensis Staudt, and F. iinumae Makino, second-order stolons rarely develop beneath the scale-like leaves of the first-order stolons, they often fail to develop at all, or are rudimentary. These morphological differences reflect genetic diversity in the genus Fragaria , revealing different evolutionary adaptations to environmental conditions, competitive strategies, and dispersal mechanisms.