Re: Arbutus unedo wrong information

Diane Whitehead wrote:

I'm surprised at the misinformation I am finding on the web about Arbutus unedo.

This is a large shrub that flowers all winter and is very popular with hummingbirds. I never water mine and insects and deer have never touched it. Yet here is part of an information window about it, and about the only true part is that it has orange-red berries. Oh, and probably the part about intolerance of high humidity, but I don't know that personally. Maybe 'no' is the default setting. http://www.crescentbloom.com/Plants/Specimen/AO/Arbutus%20unedo.htm

Special qualities
Tolerates drought no Tolerates high humidity no Tolerates seaside conditions no Insect resistant no Disease resistant no Deer resistant no Best uses Symbiosis Attracts butterflies no Attracts hummingbirds no Autumn foliage no Colorful berries yes Desirable qualities Other interest orange-red berries Other interest color Other interest period On to the berries:

Long ago I read that 'unedo' means 'eat one' because no one would eat a second. It rarely fruits here, so I never had a chance to check. I did see a lot of fruit last month in northern California. In Napa, they were dropping on the ground, so I tried one which was juicy and pleasant. It tasted as good as most tropical fruits ( only the distinctly flavoured tropicals get shipped - most are sweet and bland.)

I don't know why writers in the U.K. say they taste unpleasant. http://www.british-trees.com/guide/strawberrytree.htm

I agree Diane, I think they are tasty and eat any I can find! I would describe it as a small tree, though, rather than a shrub, if allowed to grow. As there is more than one type of Arbutus, perhaps this influences the edibility of the fruit.

I see in a book which I have been given, "California Gardener's Giude"(!) that the native Arbutus, A. menziesii or madrone (B.C to San Luis Obispo), is 'a wonderful source of food for birds and other wildlife' and is primarily a coastal tree so should tolerate seasode conditions. It grows to 60-80 feet!

Beverly
in Perth, Western Australia

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