The modern strawberry has a surprisingly dramatic story, involving a French spy in Chile, a perilous ocean voyage, and the unlikely meeting of two botanical expatriates. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the improbable origin of one of the world's most popular fruits.
We'll also discuss the answers to some of our queries and puzzle over a radioactive engineer.
Intro:
Williston Fish bequeathed everything.
Philip Cohen invented an English contraction with seven apostrophes.
Sources for our feature on Amédée-François Frézier:
Amédée-François Frézier, A Voyage to the South-sea, and Along the Coasts of Chili and Peru, in the Years 1712, 1713, and 1714, 1717.
George McMillan Darrow, The Strawberry: History, Breeding, and Physiology, 1966.
James F. Hancock, Strawberries, 2020.
R.M. Sharma, Rakesh Yamdagni, A.K. Dubey, and Vikramaditya Pandey, Strawberries: Production, Postharvest Management and Protection, 2019.
Amjad M. Husaini and Davide Neri, Strawberry: Growth, Development and Diseases, 2016.
Joel S. Denker, The Carrot Purple and Other Curious Stories of the Food We Eat, 2015.
Adam Leith Gollner, The Fruit Hunters: A Story of Nature, Adventure, Commerce, and Obsession, 2013.
Mary Ellen Snodgrass, World Food: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture and Social Influence From Hunter Gatherers to the Age of Globalization, 2012.
Noel Kingsbury, Hybrid: The History and Science of Plant Breeding, 2011.
Christopher Stocks, Forgotten Fruits: The Stories Behind Britain's Traditional Fruit and Vegetables, 2009.
Stevenson Whitcomb Fletcher, The Strawberry in North America: History, Origin, Botany, and Breeding, 1917.
Dominique D.A. Pincot et al., "Social Network Analysis of the Genealogy of Strawberry: Retracing the Wild Roots of Heirloom and Modern Cultivars," G3 11:3 (2021), jkab015.
Marina Gambardella, S. Sanchez, and J. Grez, "Morphological Analysis of Fragaria chiloensis Accessions and Their Relationship as Parents of F.× ananassa Hybrid," Acta Horticulturae 1156, VIII International Strawberry Symposium, April 2017.
Chad E. Finn et al., "The Chilean Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis): Over 1000 Years of Domestication," HortScience 48.4 (2013), 418-421.
Jorge B. Retamales et al., "Current Status of the Chilean Native Strawberry a
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