A huge patch of wild fruit by the roadside, too much to pick it all, so break off a branch and take it home to grow in a pot

A while ago I went back to my hometown, and by the roadside I saw a huge patch of "she pao er," as we call it there. This fruit is also known by its scientific name shemei (mock strawberry, Duchesnea indica). It grows in big sprawling patches in wet ditches, on hillsides, and along roadsides, in fairly damp spots. There is so much of it, and its branches can be broken off and grown directly in pots, where they take root very easily.

When I was little, whenever I saw the bright red she pao er, I couldn't resist picking it and eating it. But the adults at home warned us that she pao er must not be eaten, that it is what snakes eat, and that it is poisonous.

Actually, she pao er is not poisonous at all. It is just that when it is growing most vigorously, that is also the time when snakes come out of their burrows, so who knows which patch of fruit a snake may have licked, hehe.

What is most worth praising about she pao er is also its medicinal value. It can clear heat and detoxify, disperse blood stasis and reduce swelling, and has effects such as clearing heat, detoxifying, and fighting cancer. It can be used to treat illnesses such as colds with fever, cough, sore and swollen throat, and diphtheria, and it can also treat snake and insect bites.

Once she pao er bears fruit, it comes in a huge patch, and one picking fills a bag. Although it looks like a strawberry, bright red and showy, it actually tastes mild and light, not sweet at all. Apart from its medicinal value, it is basically quite nice to look at as an ornamental.

Wild she pao er grass is not prone to pests or diseases, has strong resistance, and is not strict about its environment or soil. It can survive in sandy soil, yellow earth, and humus soil. The whole plant is low and creeping in growth, and it never needs pruning all year round.

She pao er is an excellent flowering plant: flowers in spring, fruit to enjoy in summer, and its adaptability is extremely strong. Grown in a pot, apart from needing attention to temperature in winter, it stays a mass of deep green basically all year, and it does not even need extra fertiliser. Care is very simple. Break off a branch, pot it up at home, and it is pretty and easy to grow.