''Arbutus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.
''Arbutus bicolor''
/ref> of

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...

s in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae () are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with about 4,250 known species spread acros ...

, native to temperate regions of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, western Europe, the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

and North America, and commonly called madrones or strawberry trees. The name ''Arbutus'' was taken by taxonomists from

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

, where it referred to the species now designated ''

Arbutus unedo ''Arbutus unedo'', commonly known as strawberry tree, also called madrone, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean Basin and Western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, the arbutus berr ...

''.

Description

''Arbutus'' are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible red

berries A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone fruit, stone or pit (fruit), pit although many wikt:pip#Etymology 2, pips or seeds may be p ...

.Mabberley, D. J. 1997. ''The plant book: A portable dictionary of the vascular plants''. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening. Peak flowering for the genus is in April with peak fruiting in October.

History

The smooth wood of the tree is mentioned by

Theophrastus Theophrastus (; ; c. 371 – c. 287 BC) was an ancient Greek Philosophy, philosopher and Natural history, naturalist. A native of Eresos in Lesbos, he was Aristotle's close colleague and successor as head of the Lyceum (classical), Lyceum, the ...

in his ''Enquiry into Plants'' (''Historia Plantarum'') as formerly being used to make weaving spindles. An article on Arbutus tree cultivation in

al-Andalus Al-Andalus () was the Muslim-ruled area of the Iberian Peninsula. The name refers to the different Muslim states that controlled these territories at various times between 711 and 1492. At its greatest geographical extent, it occupied most o ...

(in ) is brought down in

Ibn al-'Awwam Ibn al-'Awwam (), also called Abu Zakariya Ibn al-Awwam (), was an Al-Andalus agriculturist who flourished at Seville (modern-day southern Spain) in the later 12th century. He wrote a lengthy handbook on agriculture entitled in Arabic '' Kitāb al ...

's 12th-century agricultural work, '' Book on Agriculture''.

Common names

Members of the genus are called ''madrones'' or ''madronas'' in the United States, from the Spanish name ''madroño'' ( strawberry tree). On the south

coast A coast (coastline, shoreline, seashore) is the land next to the sea or the line that forms the boundary between the land and the ocean or a lake. Coasts are influenced by the topography of the surrounding landscape and by aquatic erosion, su ...

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

, where the species is common, ''arbutus'' is commonly used or, rarely and locally, "tick tree". All refer to the same species, '' Arbutus menziesii'', native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern and Central California regions. It is Canada's only native broadleaved evergreen tree. Some species in the genera '' Epigaea'', '' Arctostaphylos'' and ''

Gaultheria ''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 283 species of shrubs in the family Ericaceae. The name commemorates Jean François Gaultier of Quebec, an honour bestowed by the Scandinavian Pehr Kalm in 1748 and taken up by Carl Linnaeus in his '. These pl ...

'' were formerly classified in ''Arbutus''. As a result of its past classification, '' Epigaea repens'' (mayflower) has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".

Systematics

A study published in 2001 which analyzed

ribosomal DNA The ribosomal DNA (rDNA) consists of a group of ribosomal RNA encoding genes and related regulatory elements, and is widespread in similar configuration in all domains of life. The ribosomal DNA encodes the non-coding ribosomal RNA, integral struc ...

from ''Arbutus'' and related genera suggests that ''Arbutus'' is

paraphyletic Paraphyly is a taxonomic term describing a grouping that consists of the grouping's last common ancestor and some but not all of its descendant lineages. The grouping is said to be paraphyletic ''with respect to'' the excluded subgroups. In co ...

and the Mediterranean Basin species of ''Arbutus'' are more closely related to '' Arctostaphylos'', '' Arctous'', '' Comarostaphylis'', '' Ornithostaphylos'' and '' Xylococcus'' than to the western North American species of ''Arbutus'', and that the split between the two groups of species occurred at the

Paleogene The Paleogene Period ( ; also spelled Palaeogene or Palæogene) is a geologic period and system that spans 43 million years from the end of the Cretaceous Period Ma (million years ago) to the beginning of the Neogene Period Ma. It is the fir ...

Neogene The Neogene ( ,) is a geologic period and system that spans 20.45 million years from the end of the Paleogene Period million years ago ( Mya) to the beginning of the present Quaternary Period million years ago. It is the second period of th ...

boundary. The 12 species are as follows:

Afro-Eurasia

* '' Arbutus andrachne'' L. – Greek strawberry tree (Southeastern

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

and southwestern

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

) * '' Arbutus canariensis'' Duhamel – Canary madrone (

) * '' Arbutus pavarii'' Pampan. (

Libya Libya, officially the State of Libya, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya border, the east, Sudan to Libya–Sudan border, the southeast, Chad to Chad–L ...

) * ''

'' L. – strawberry tree ( Mediterranean Basin, western France, and western Ireland)

Americas

* '' Arbutus arizonica'' (A.Gray) Sarg. – Arizona madrone (

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and western

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

south to

Jalisco Jalisco, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Jalisco, is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the 32 Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. It is located in western Mexico and is bordered by s ...

) * '' Arbutus bicolor'' S. González, M. González et P. D. Sørensen (

) * '' Arbutus madrensis'' M. González – western Mexico * '' Arbutus menziesii'' Pursh – Pacific madrone (West coast of

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

from southern

to central (less frequently southern)

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, on the west slopes of the

Sierra Nevada The Sierra Nevada ( ) is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primari ...

and Pacific Coast Range mountains) * '' Arbutus mollis'' Kunth (

) * '' Arbutus occidentalis'' McVaugh & Rosatti - western Mexico * '' Arbutus tessellata'' (Mexico) * '' Arbutus xalapensis'' Kunth (syn. ''A. texana'', ''A. glandulosa'', ''A. peninsularis'') – Texas madrone (

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

and northeastern

)

Hybrids

* ''Arbutus'' × ''andrachnoides'' Link (''A. andrachne × A. unedo''): this hybrid has gained the

Royal Horticultural Society The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS), founded in 1804 as the Horticultural Society of London, is the UK's leading gardening charity. The RHS promotes horticulture through its five gardens at Wisley (Surrey), Hyde Hall (Essex), Harlow Carr ...

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. It includes the full range of cultivated p ...

. * ''Arbutus'' × ''androsterilis'' (''A. canariensis'' × ''A. unedo'') in Canary Islands * ''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.)

Natural history

''Arbutus'' species are used as food plants by some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) or lepidopterans is an order (biology), order of winged insects which includes butterflies and moths. About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera have been described, representing 10% of the total described species of living organ ...

species including emperor moth, '' Pavonia pavonia'' and the madrone butterfly. The distribution of the latter species is in fact heavily affected by the distribution of the madrone. For Athenaios, it is the tree which Asclepiades of Myrlea talks about (Deiphnosophists, II.35)

Uses and symbolism

Several species are widely cultivated as

ornamental plant Ornamental plants or ''garden plants'' are plants that are primarily grown for their beauty but also for qualities such as scent or how they shape physical space. Many flowering plants and garden varieties tend to be specially bred cultivars th ...

s 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 (, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city of

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

, 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'' is important to the Straits Salish people of Vancouver Island, who used arbutus bark and leaves to create medicines for colds, stomach problems, and tuberculosis, and as the basis for contraceptives. The tree also figures in myths of the Straits Salish. The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten. In Portugal, the fruit is sometimes

distilled Distillation, also classical distillation, is the process of separating the component substances of a liquid mixture of two or more chemically discrete substances; the separation process is realized by way of the selective boiling of the mixt ...

(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 The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

states in the United States use the wood of ''A. menziesii'' primarily as a heat source, as the wood holds no value in the production of homes since it does not grow in straight timbers. The

Saanich people The Saanich people ( ) are a Central Coast Salish people indigenous to parts of British Columbia and western Washington state. The W̱SÁNEĆ peoples are represented by the Tsartlip, Pauquachin, Tsawout, Tseycum and Malahat First Nat ...

of British Columbia have a prohibition against burning arbutus, due to its salvific role in their creation myths; an arbutus anchored their

canoe A canoe is a lightweight, narrow watercraft, water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using paddles. In British English, the term ' ...

s to the world during the

deluge A deluge is a large downpour of rain, often a flood. The Deluge refers to the flood narrative in the biblical book of Genesis. Deluge or Le Déluge may also refer to: History *Deluge (history), the Swedish and Russian invasion of the Polish-L ...

. "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 Sir Charles Villiers Stanford (30 September 1852 – 29 March 1924) was an Anglo-Irish composer, music teacher, and conductor of the late Romantic music, Romantic era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was ed ...

(1852–1924). The Canadian songwriter, singer and painter

Joni Mitchell Roberta Joan Mitchell (née Anderson; born November 7, 1943) is a Canadian and American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitch ...

(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. "I love arbutuses," celebrated French chef

Alain Ducasse Alain Ducasse (; born 13 September 1956) is a French-born Monégasque chef. He operates a number of restaurants, including Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, which holds three stars (the top rating) in the Michelin Guide. Early life and career D ...

, recipient of 20 Michelin stars
has said
24:50). "Yes, I love arbutus honey. It's sweet honey that's also bitter. I'm obsessed with the bitterness."

Cultural significance

According to the Straits Salish, an anthropomorphic form of pitch would go fishing, but return to shore before it got too hot. One day he was too late getting back to shore and melted from the heat and several anthropomorphic trees rushed to get him – the first was

Douglas fir The Douglas fir (''Pseudotsuga menziesii'') is an evergreen conifer species in the pine family, Pinaceae. It is the tallest tree in the Pinaceae family. It is native to western North America and is also known as Douglas-fir, Douglas spruce, Or ...

, who took most of the pitch, the grand fir received a small portion, and the madrone received none – which is why they say it still has no pitch. Also, according to the

Great Flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primeva ...

legends of several bands in the northwest, the madrone helped people survive by providing an anchor on top of a mountain for their canoes. Because of this the

do not burn madrone out of thanks for saving them.''Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast: Washington, Oregon, British Columbia & Alaska'', Paul Alaback,

Gallery

File:Ab plant 1359.jpg, '' Arbutus andrachne'' File:Arbutus canariensis kz7.JPG, '' Arbutus canariensis'' File:Arbutus menziesii 3208s.JPG, '' Arbutus menziesii'' File:Cireres de pastor Cirerer d'arboç Arbutus unedo.jpg, ''

'' File:Arbutus xalapensis Guadalupe Mountains.jpg, '' Arbutus xalapensis'' File:Arbutus × andrachnoides in Hackfalls Arboretum (2).jpg, The hybrid ''Arbutus'' × ''andrachnoides'' File:Arbutus x thuretiana2-Clapiers-7636~2020 03 23.jpg, The hybrid ''Arbutus'' × ''thuretiana''

References

External links

{{Authority control Ericaceae genera