Christopher Todd Dochat, age 9, of Lancaster, Pa., for his question:

HOW DID THE STRAWBERRY GET ITS NAME?

The good tasting strawberry belongs to the rose family. The plant hugs the ground as leaves in groups of three grow along a woody stem. The strawberry has short roots and pleasant smelling white flowers that turn into fruit.

The berries are greenish white at first and then turn bright red. Since berries seem to be strewn or scattered among the leaves of the plant, this is probably why the plant used to be called the strewberry. With time the name was changed to strawberry.

The strawberry plant does not reproduce by seeds. When the fruit is developing, the plant sends out slender growths called runners. These runners send out roots in the soil. The roots produce new plants which grow and bear fruit.