Waldsteinia fragarioides (f. Geum fragarioides)
Barren strawberry
This darling little plant, with yellow springtime flowers, is a great addition to any garden. Barren strawberry has leaves similar to the strawberries we know and love, but does not produce fruit in the traditional sense (just seeds).
 
The deeply toothed leaves are evergreen in the Boston area, although occasionally turning gold over winter. This plant is very adaptable from sun to partial shade and from moist to dry soils, the sweet-spot being a partly shaded garden in average-moist soil.
 
Barren Strawberry is of no interest to deer and is a wonderful choice as a groundcover. You could even use this plant as a traditional-lawn alternative.
 
W. fragarioides is a species of special concern in Massachusetts 
which means it is "particularly vulnerable
, and could easily become, an endangered, threatened, or extirpated species
 due to restricted distribution, low or declining numbers".
 
Be a part of returning this lovely little plant to the Massachusetts landscape, and support the pollinators that visit.
 
Source: divisons from garden plants with a long history in Plymouth county.