mock strawberry

The herbaceous plant spreads along creeping stolons, rooting and producing plantlets at each node. The leaves are trifoliate, dark green, and somewhat thick. The flowers are produced singly on axillary peduncles. The yellow petals of Potentilla indica have a nectar guide near the center of each petal that absorbs UV light more strongly than the rest of the petal and is visible only in the UV spectrum. The most common variety, Potentilla indica var. indica, has fruiting receptacles and achenes that are red and glossy. The rare variety D. indica f. albocaput Naruh., with white receptacles and cream achenes, has been reported only in Argentina and Japan.

The fresh berries are edible but considered less palatable than proper strawberries. The cousin Potentilla fulgens is widely distributed in the Khasi Hills and Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya, northeastern India, where the plants are known in the Khasi as lyniangbru (and in English as "Himalayan cinquefoil"), and usage of this species extends to the Potentilla genus. Roots of Potentilla are consumed (chewed) with betel nuts by the Khasi people, and the P. indica species is also used in this way. There is recorded ethno-medicinal usage (in northeastern India) as anthelmintic to get rid of parasites and to treat lung symptoms. A survey conducted in Assam, India, from 2018–2020 documented the use of Potentilla indica by traditional healers to treat asthma. In traditional Chinese medicine, it is used for clearing heat, cooling blood, detumescence, and detoxication.