Arbutus
Arbutus | |
---|---|
Arbutus unedo | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Ericales |
Family: | Ericaceae |
Subfamily: | Arbutoideae |
Genus: | Arbutus L.[1] |
Type species | |
Arbutus unedo L. 1753
| |
Species | |
See text |
Arbutus is a
Description
Arbutus are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible red berries.[6] Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening.[6] Peak flowering for the genus is in April with peak fruiting in October.[7]
History
The smooth wood of the tree is mentioned by
Common names
Members of the genus are called madrones or madronas in the United States, from the Spanish name madroño (
Systematics
A study published in 2001 which analyzed
Afro-Eurasia
- Arbutus andrachne L. – Greek strawberry tree (Southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia)
- Arbutus canariensis Duhamel – Canary madrone (Canary Islands)
- Arbutus pavarii Pampan. (Libya)
- Arbutus unedo L. – strawberry tree (Mediterranean Basin, western France, and western Ireland)[12]
Americas
- Arbutus arizonica (A.Gray) Sarg. – Arizona madrone (New Mexico, Arizona and western Mexico south to Jalisco)
- Arbutus bicolor S. González, M. González et P. D. Sørensen (Mexico)
- Arbutus madrensis M. González – western Mexico
- Pacific Coast Rangemountains)
- Arbutus mollis Kunth (Mexico)
- Arbutus occidentalis McVaugh & Rosatti - western Mexico
- Arbutus tessellata (Mexico)[13]
- Arbutus xalapensis Kunth (syn. A. texana, A. glandulosa, A. peninsularis) – Texas madrone (Texas, New Mexico and northeastern Mexico)[12]
Hybrids
- Arbutus × andrachnoides Link (A. andrachne × A. unedo):[12] this hybrid has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[14]
- Arbutus × androsterilis (A. canariensis × A. unedo) in Canary Islands [15]
- Arbutus × thuretiana Demoly (A. andrachne × A. canariensis)
- Arbutus × reyorum [ (A. andrachne × A. canariensis) × A. unedo ]
Formerly placed here
- Arctostaphylos tomentosa (Pursh) Lindl. (as A. tomentosa Pursh)
- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (L.) Spreng. (as A. uva-ursi L.)
- Comarostaphylis discolor (Hook.) Diggs (as A. discolor Hook.)
- Gaultheria phillyreifolia (Pers.) Sleumer (as A. phillyreifolia Pers.)[12]
Natural history
Arbutus species are used as food plants by some
Uses and symbolism
Several species are widely cultivated as ornamental plants outside of their natural ranges, though cultivation is often difficult due to their intolerance of root disturbance. The hybrid Arbutus 'Marina' is much more adaptable and thrives under garden conditions.
The Arbutus unedo tree makes up part of the coat of arms (El oso y el madroño, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city of Madrid, Spain. A statue of a bear eating the fruit of the madroño tree stands in the center of the city (Puerta del Sol). The image appears on city crests, taxi cabs, man-hole covers, and other city infrastructure.
The Arbutus was important to the Straits
The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten. In Portugal, the fruit is sometimes distilled (legally or not) into a potent brandy known as medronho. In Madrid, the fruit is distilled into madroño, a sweet, fruity liqueur.
Arbutus is a good fuelwood tree since it burns hot and long. Many Pacific Northwest states in the United States use the wood of A. menziesii primarily as a heat source,[citation needed] as the wood holds no value in the production of homes since it does not grow in straight timbers.
"My love's an arbutus" is the title of a poem by the Irish writer Alfred Perceval Graves (1846–1931), set to music by his compatriot Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924).
The Canadian songwriter, singer and painter Joni Mitchell (born 1943) includes a reference to the "arbutus rustling" in her song, "For The Roses". It sounded like applause. She calls the arbutus tree her "favorite all-time tree". She had one outside her door in a house she built.
Cultural significance
According to the Straits
Also, according to the
Gallery
-
The hybrid Arbutus × andrachnoides
-
The hybrid Arbutus × thuretiana
See also
- Myrica rubra, a different plant bearing a similar fruit, whose name is sometimes inaccurately translated from Chinese as Arbutus
References
- ^ "Genus: Arbutus L." Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. 2003-06-04. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ a b Act. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012. Arbutus bicolor
- ^ "The plant list, Arbutus". Royal Botanic Garden, Kew.
- ISBN 978-0-520-22110-9.
- ^
Quattrocchi, Umberto (2000). CRC World Dictionary of Plant Names. Vol. I: A–C. CRC Press. p. 182. ISBN 978-0-8493-2675-2.
Arbutus L Ericaceae [...] Origins: [...] The old Latin name arbutus i for the wild strawberry-tree, Arbutus unedo L.; see Carl Linnaeus, Species Plantarum. 395. 1753 and Genera Plantarum. Ed. 5. 187. 1754.
- ^ a b Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
- ^ "Arbutus – iNaturalist". Retrieved 9 Nov 2017.
- –234 (Article VIII)
- ISBN 978-1-55105-042-3.
- ISBN 978-1-55017-200-3.
- JSTOR 2666660.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link - ^ a b c d "GRIN Species Records of Arbutus". Germplasm Resources Information Network. United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 2012-04-17.
- ^ Paul D. Sørensen 1987. Arbutus tessellata (Ericaceae), new from Mexico Brittonia, 39(2):263–267.
- ^ "RHS Plantfinder – Arbutus × andrachnoides". Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- JSTOR 1223264.
- ^ S2CID 90641218. Archived from the originalon 2020-07-28. Retrieved 2017-11-13.
- ^ Pojar and MacKinnon, 49
- ISBN 978-1-55105-530-5
- Hileman, Lena C.; Vasey, Michael C.; Thomas Parker, V. (2001). "Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Arbutoideae (Ericaceae): Implications for the Madrean-Tethyan Hypothesis". Systematic Botany. 26 (1): 131–143. JSTOR 2666660.)
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of January 2024 (link