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Arbutus 'Marina'

>Date: Wed, 03 Dec 1997 16:54:57 -0800
>Sender: owner-medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>From: Alex Teller <alextell@pacbell.net>
>To: medit-plants@ucdavis.edu
>Subject: Arbutus marina
>
> I recently discovered a beautiful tree with the most interesting bark,
> flowers and leaves imaginable.  It is called Arbutus Marina.  Is anyone
> familiar with it?  Can you give some guidance on where to find some
> description about its habits and needs?
>
> Thank you!
> Alex Teller
> alextell@pacbell.net

Alex -

Yes - this is indeed a beautiful tree!  And it has an interesting
story behind it.  Below I include an article I had taken from a San
Marcos Growers newsletter which explains a lot of this.  Let me know
if you have questions not answered by this bit of text.

 Sean A. O'Hara                     sean.ohara@ucop.edu
 710 Jean Street                    (510) 987-0577
 Oakland, California 94610-1459     h o r t u l u s   a p t u s
 U.S.A.                             'a garden suited to its purpose'

 *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *     *

                          ARBUTUS 'MARINA'
                       A Tree For All Seasons
(The Hort Report, Fall 1995, San Marcos Growers, Santa Barbara, CA)

"This evergreen tree is one of our best selling plants; and for good
reason - its beautiful!  We are so enthralled with it that we grow
it in both a low branched form and a high headed form, and 5gal size
up to 36in boxes - there aren't too many other trees that are worth
this effort.  If you have yet to see a good specimen of Arbutus
'Marina', we welcome you to visit our demonstration garden to see
the 8yr old tree that is 25ft tall and 30ft wide.  The smooth red
bark really sets the theme of this section of the garden with most
of the color being elements other than flowers.  Plants in this area
include new hybrids of New Zealand Flax, Astelia, Canna, sedges,
bamboo and grasses.  Arbutus 'Marina' is a large tree, growing to
50ft tall with a broad dense crown.  The upright branches are
covered with a smooth mahogany colored bark which exfoliates in late
summer to expose the next year's bark - at this stage a beautiful
cinnamon color.  The dark green leathery leaves of A. 'Marina' are
4-5in long.  Flushes of bronze colored new growth from spring
throught summer add interest and lighten the overall look of the
tree.

THE FLOWERS - The pendulous clusters of urn-shaped white blushed
pink flowers are produced year-round along the coast, with peak in
spring and fall.  The fruit that follows also appears heaviest in
spring and fall in such a manner that the later yellow fruit are
also visible while mature red fruit is still on the tree.  This adds
further to the decorative qualities of the tree as it almost appears
as though the tree has Christmas decorations upon it.  The fruit is
edible with a flavor likened to a mixture of kiwi fruit and
strawberry but as with the fruit of the common Strawberry Tree, A.
unedo, the texture is gritty.

ITS HISTORY - How A. 'Marina' made its way into cultivation is a
curious story.  Even though many people have appreciated this tree
for better than half a century, it wasn't named and introduced into
the nursery trade until 1984 by the Saratoga Horticultural
Foundation (SHF).  The SHF took their cuttings from a tree in Victor
Reiter's San Francisco Garden.  This tree had been planted in 1944.
Mr. Reiter had aquired his plant in 1933 when he was allowed to take
vegetative cuttings from a boxed specimen that was at Strybing
Arboretum.  The Strybing Arboretum, under director Eric Walther, had
purchased the boxed tree from the closing down sale of Western
Nursery on Lombard St. in the Marina District.  Charles Abrahams,
the owner of Western Nursery, was thought to have taken cuttings
from trees that were sent from Europe for a 1917 horticultural
expostion, one of which was probably this beautiful tree.  It is not
clear what the exact parentage of A. 'Marina' is although there is
speculation that it is either a very good selection of A.
x andrachnoides or a hybrid between this species and A. canariensis.
To further add confusion, it should be noted that A. x andrachnoides
is itself a naturally occuring hybrid of A. unedo and A. andachne,
and that A. canariensis is considered by many to be an insular form
of A. unedo.  Confused? - It's hard not to be but at least we can
appreciate this tree for it's beauty and adaptability in the
California garden."
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