![]() ![]() Its leaves are shiny dark green, ovate to 4” long with a serrate edge and red petiole and its multiple trunks have a cinnamon brown bark which exfoliates as it ages. Strawberry Tree is an almost fault-free evergreen ornamental with year-round interest. Though related to our native madrone ( Arbutus menziesii), Arbutus unedo is much more suitable for cultivation in gardens. ![]() In Ireland there is an ancient folk ballad “My Love’s an Arbutus.” Evidence of tree pollen preserved in bogs suggests that the tree was introduced to Ireland in the form of seeds some 4000 years ago during widespread immigration of the Beaker culture in Europe. Madrid Spain’s coat of arms features the Arbutus and a bear (‘The Bear and the Strawberry Tree’ or ‘El Oso e El Madrono’). Its fruit was central to Hieronymus Bosch’s painting ‘Garden of Earthly Delights’. ![]() In Italy the poet Giovanni Pascoli describes the tree as a symbol for the Italian flag because they both bear the colors of green, red and white. In ancient Roman culture it is mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Ovid. The ancient Greeks prized the wood for flute-making. The Strawberry Tree shows up in various historical accounts of Western culture. This has been interpreted as either “it’s not that great” or “it’s so great you only need one.” In honor of Pliny’s description, Carl Linnaeus bestowed the botanical classification as Arbutus unedo in his first volume of “Species Plantarum” (1753). The species name ‘unedo’ is attributed to Pliny the Elder who said of the fruit “Unum Tantum Edo” (Latin) meaning “I eat only one”. This tree is valued as an ornamental broadleaf evergreen for gardens and it has a long history of appreciation in Western cultures. unedo flowers and fruitĮxcept for their bright red fruits and similar common names, the Strawberry Tree ( Arbutus unedo) and the strawberry ( Fragaria spp.) have nothing in common. Twitter Facebook Pinterest Email December 2016 Plant Profile: Arbutus unedo A. Washington Rare Plant Care and Conservation. ![]()
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