Re: Arbutus unedo wrong information

Here in the East Bay and up in Napa Valley, I have
found that Arbutus unedo is readily browsed by deer,
and must be protected.  This year I have had them eat
Nandina as well, which I had always assumed was safe
to use around deer.

As to the taste of the fruit, the one in my front
garden has pretty tasty fruit, and the birds seem to
agree, they never last very long.  On the other hand,
the birds seldom eat the much larger fruits on the
nearby Arbutus 'Marina'.


--- bridget lamp <bridgetlamp@yahoo.com> wrote:

> If deer are desperate, they will eat the leaves. 
> Especially if you've got a tree that has new leaves
> and short enough for them to reach.  A few deer at
> the
> UCBG pretty much defoliated one A. unedo when I
> worked
> there.  These plants were just over 1 year old, so
> the
> leaves were tender enough.  I was shocked to see
> that
> much damage--they did it while I was vacationing in
> the Mediterranean no less!
> 
> I can't say that their fruits are particularly
> interesting in flavor.  I prefer the lychee or
> longans
> I can find at Asian markets.
> 
> bridget
> in cloudy Seattle
> 
> --- Diane Whitehead <voltaire@islandnet.com> 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
> > 
> > -- 
> > Diane Whitehead  Victoria, British Columbia,
> Canada
> > maritime zone 8
> > cool mediterranean climate (dry summer, rainy
> winter
> > - 68 cm annually)
> > sandy soil
> > 
> > 
> 
> 
> 
> 		
> __________________________________ 
> Do you Yahoo!? 
> All your favorites on one personal page ? Try My
> Yahoo!
> http://my.yahoo.com 
> 
> 



		
__________________________________ 
Do you Yahoo!? 
Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard. 
http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index