Agroforestree Database

Local names:
 English (strawberry tree,cane apples,arbutus), Greek (koumaria)

Arbutus unedo is an evergreen broadleaved shrub or small tree with a spreading habit, up to 12 m high, often much lower; rarely exceeding 2.5-3.7 m in the southeastern USA.

Leaves simple, alternate, serrate, obovate, oblanceolate, pinnate, evergreen, 5 - 10 cm long, borne on 5mm long hairy pinkish stalks.  The leathery leaves are glossy on top with red vein when young.

Flowers hermaphrodite, bell-shaped small white or pinkish blueberry-like assembled in drooping panicles about 5 cm long and 8 mm in diameter with a soft honey scent.

Fruit globose berries, covered in conical swellings, ripening through yellow to scarlet and deep crimson with mealy, edible pulp and about 2 cm in diameter; looks somewhat like strawberries  though the resemblance does not apply to taste. 

Bark gray-brown; fissured, flaking and peeling in thin plates to reveal the reddish young bark beneath. 

Strawberry tree has a long taproot and therefore should not  be transplanted once established, but thanks to that taproot it eventually becomes extremely drought hardy.

The Latin name 'unedo' means 'I eat one (only)' and suggests that the fruit is not very palatable, though it also suggests the fruit is so delicious that a person only needs to eat one.

Ecology

Arbutus  unedo does best in mild, wet winter climates, with dry, warm-hot summers and is found growing in woodland margins, scrub and rocky slopes, generally on well-drained acid soils, often on limestone and sandstone. It prefers full sun to partial shade and thrives along with laurel, cork oak, juniper and other plants of the maquis.

Native range
Greece, Ireland, Lebanon, Portugal, Turkey

Tree management

Minimal pruning can be done to enhance shape e.g. to train as a single-trunked tree or to open up tree crown.  New shoots can be pruned back to 2-3 leaves during growth. Strawberry tree is drought tolerant, but may need watering only during the autumn and winter. It may need protection from winter winds especially in their first winter.

When fully ripe fruits fall from the tree, it is advisable to grow the plant in short grass to cushion the fall of the fruit.

Seeds can be stored under cold stratification for up to 6 weeks.  The fleshy coating on seeds should be removed before storage.  Stored seed should be soaked for 5-6 days in warm water and then surface sown in a shady position in a greenhouse without allowing the compost to become dry. The seed usually germinates in 2-3 months at 20°C. Seedlings are prone to damping off, they are best transplanted to individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and should be kept well ventilated. Seedlings should be grown in a greenhouse for their first winter planted out in late spring after the last expected frosts. Root disturbance should be avoided and seedlings are best placed in their final positions whilst young.

Arbutus  unedo does best in mild, wet winter climates, with dry, warm-hot summers and is found growing in woodland margins, scrub and rocky slopes, generally on well-drained acid soils, often on limestone and sandstone. It prefers full sun to partial shade and thrives along with laurel, cork oak, juniper and other plants of the maquis.

Strawberry tree is propagated by seeds, which germinate readily, and by cuttings of half-ripe wood taken in summer or autumn.  Layering of young wood works and can take 2 years.

  Fruits can be eaten fresh or cooked but has little flavor.  The fruit contains about 20% sugars and is used to make delicious and nourishing jams and preserves.  The fruits can be fermented to make aromatic alcoholic beverages.  In Portugal, strawberry tree fruits are fermented to make a strong tasting wine known as medronho or medronheira, tsipuoro in Greece, Fior de Corbezzolo in Sicily, Creme d'Arbouse in Corsica among others.

The wood makes good charcoal.

Timber:  The wood is used in Greece to make flutes. 

Shade or shelter:  Strawberry tree is good choice for a shrub border.  It spreads quite wide as it grows taller and produces dense shade, making it ideal for use as a small shade, screen, hedge, or patio tree.  Strawberry tree is a good choice for coastal

Tannin or dyestuff:  The bark which contains 45% tannin has been used in tanning leather.  Tannin can also be obtained from the leaves and fruit.

Medicine:  The tree is little used in herbalism but deserves modern investigation.  All parts of the plant contain ethyl gallate, a substance that possesses strong antibiotic activity against the Mycobacterium bacteria.  The leaves, bark and root are astringent and diuretic. They are also a renal antiseptic and so used in the treatment of infections of the urinary system such as cystitis and urethritis. It is used in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery and, a gargle can be made for treating sore and irritated throats. The flowers are weakly diaphoretic.

Ornamental:  The tree is commonly planted as ornamental for its pretty flowers and fruit especially in autumn when most shrubs are going dormant.  Older specimens are especially attractive with their shredding gray-brown bark and twisted, gnarled trunks.  It is a very popular ornamental in southern California.