''Arbutus andrachne'', commonly called the Greek strawberry tree, is an evergreen

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

or small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, e.g., including only woody plants with secondary growth, only ...

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 the Mediterranean region and the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

. The

etymology Etymology ( ) is the study of the origin and evolution of words—including their constituent units of sound and meaning—across time. In the 21st century a subfield within linguistics, etymology has become a more rigorously scientific study. ...

of the species name corresponds to the

Ancient Greek Ancient Greek (, ; ) includes the forms of the Greek language used in ancient Greece and the classical antiquity, ancient world from around 1500 BC to 300 BC. It is often roughly divided into the following periods: Mycenaean Greek (), Greek ...

word (), meaning " wild strawberry", and refers to the common name of the tree and to its fruits.

Description

''Arbutus andrachne'' can reach a height of about 12

metre The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...

s. The smooth

bark Bark may refer to: Common meanings * Bark (botany), an outer layer of a woody plant such as a tree or stick * Bark (sound), a vocalization of some animals (which is commonly the dog) Arts and entertainment * ''Bark'' (Jefferson Airplane album), ...

is exfoliating during the summer, leaving a layer with a pistachio green colour, which changes gradually to an orange brown. The flowers bloom in spring and are white or yellowish green. Its fruits ripen in autumn, and when left to dry in a cool place, are eaten as sweet, chewy

candy Candy, alternatively called sweets or lollies, is a Confectionery, confection that features sugar as a principal ingredient. The category, also called ''sugar confectionery'', encompasses any sweet confection, including chocolate, chewing gum ...

. According to a research study done by Alzoubi, the ''A. andrachne'' fruit's antioxidants contain a variety of chemicals that have a defensive effect against memory impairment where the antioxidants normalize the long- and short-term memory impairment caused from sleep deprivation.

Horticulture

Hybrids

* '' Arbutus'' x ''andrachnoides'' Link, 1821 is a hybrid between ''A. andrachne'' and '' A. unedo''. * ''Arbutus'' x ''thuretiana'' Demoly, nothosp. nov. is a hybrid between ''A. andrachne'' and '' A. canariensis''. Named after

Gustave Thuret Gustave Adolphe Thuret (23 May 1817 – 10 May 1875) was a French botanist, and founder of the Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret. Biography Born in Paris, he belonged to an old Huguenot family, which had sought refuge in Weesp (Dutch Republi ...

, it is naturalised at

Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret The Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret () is a renowned botanical garden located on the grounds of the Villa Thuret, 90, chemin Raymond, Antibes Juan-les-Pins, Alpes-Maritimes, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France. It is open weekdays without ...

. ''A.'' x ''thuretiana'' is renowned for its perfectly smooth, reddish-brown bark, exfoliating in the spring to show a new, surprisingly pistachio-green bark, which gradually darkens and turns reddish again.

Garden history

''Arbutus andrachne'' was reported by Peter Collinson as having flowered first in England in Dr John Fothergill's extensive botanical garden and greenhouses at Upton House, Essex (now

West Ham Park West Ham Park is a privately owned public space, privately owned public park in West Ham in the London Borough of Newham. Spanning , it is the largest park in the borough. The park has been managed by the City of London Corporation since 1874. ...

), in 1765.Ann Leighton, ''American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century: 'For Use or Delight' '', 1976:395; Leighton misidentifies it with ''Arbutus unedo'';

Georg Dionysius Ehret Georg Dionysius Ehret (30 January 1708 – 9 September 1770) was a German botanist and entomologist known for his botanical illustrations. Life Ehret was born in Germany to Ferdinand Christian Ehret, a gardener and competent draughtsman, a ...

, "A description of the Andrachne" ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' 57 (1767)

In literature

"On leaving

Bursa Bursa () is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the Marmara Region, Bursa is one of the industrial centers of the country. Most of ...

... There was on the road a small tree bearing a fruit somewhat bigger than our largest cherries, and of the shape and taste of strawberries, but a little acid. It is pleasant to eat; but, if a great quantity be eaten, it mounts to the head, and intoxicates. It is ripe in November and December." Editor's footnote: "From the description, it seems to be the arbutus Andrachne." The tree appears to exist in

Dibbeen Forest Reserve Dibeen Forest Reserve is a nature reserve located in the north-west of Jordan. It is situated just south of the Roman site of Jerash and covers an area of of rolling hills covered with pine–oak habitat. This area houses the largest Aleppo Pines ...

in Jordan with its distinctive reddish bark that appears more red during and immediately after rain. Locals confirm that the fruits have narcotic-like effect. The fruits are reddish and sweet but taste more like figs.

Gallery

File:10.10.09 09 Arbutus near Matat.JPG, Plant of ''Arbutus andrachne'' File:Arbutus andrachne1.jpg, Flowers and leaves File:Arbutus andrachne2.jpg, Bark File:Arbutus andrachne fruit (Ab plant 98).jpg, Fruits File:Arbutus × andrachnoides in Hackfalls Arboretum (2).jpg, The hybrid ''Arbutus'' x ''andrachnoides'' File:Arbutus x thuretiana2-Clapiers-7636~2020 03 23.jpg, The hybrid ''Arbutus'' x ''thuretiana'' File:ArbutusAndrachneMar242023 03.jpg, Arbutus andrachne In Israel

References

External links

* *

andrachne ''Andrachne'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Phyllanthaceae described by Linnaeus in 1753. It is one of eight genera in the tribe Poranthereae. Maria S. Vorontsova and Petra Hoffmann. 2008. "A phylogenetic classification of tribe P ...

Plants described in 1759 Trees of Mediterranean climate Trees of Europe Flora of Cyprus Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Mediterranean basin {{Ericaceae-stub