arbutus

This article is about the plant genus Arbutus. For other uses, see Arbutus (disambiguation).

"Madroño" redirects here. In tropical America, this can refer to the mangosteen Garcinia madruno, an unrelated eudicot.

Arbutus
Arbutus menziesii trunk
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Eudicots
(unranked):	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Arbutus L.
Species
See text.

Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America.

North American members of the genus are called Madrones, from the Spanish name madroño. The European species are called Strawberry Trees from the superficial resemblance of the fruit to a strawberry; some species are sometimes referred to simply as the "Arbutus". The name "Madrone" is used south of the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon/northern California and the name "Madrona" is used north of the Siskiyou Mountains according to the "Sunset Western Garden Book". In British Columbia, the name "Arbutus" is commonly used.^[1][2] All refer to the same tree, Arbutus menziesii, native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions. It is Canada's only native broadleaved evergreen tree.

A recent study which analyzed ribosomal DNA from Arbutus and related genera suggests that Arbutus is paraphyletic 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/Neogene boundary.^[3]

Species

Old World

• Arbutus andrachne (Greek Strawberry Tree). Southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia.
• Arbutus canariensis (Canary Madrone). Canary Islands.
• Arbutus unedo (Strawberry Tree). Widespread in the Mediterranean region and also western France and western Ireland.
• Note: the East Asian fruit Myrica rubra is often mistranslated as Arbutus.
• A. unedo and A. andrachne hybridise naturally where their ranges overlap; the hybrid has been named Arbutus × andrachnoides (syn. A. × hybrida, or A. andrachne × unedo), inheriting traits of both parent species, though fruits are not usually borne freely, and as a hybrid is unlikely to breed true from seed.

New World

• Arbutus arizonica (Arizona Madrone). New Mexico, Arizona and western Mexico south to Jalisco.
• Arbutus glandulosa. Central and southern Mexico.
• Arbutus menziesii (Pacific Madrone). West coast of North America from southern British Columbia to central California, on the west slopes of the Sierra Nevada and Pacific Coast Range mountains.
• Arbutus peninsularis. Baja California Peninsula of Mexico.
• Arbutus xalapensis (Texas Madrone; syn. A. texana). Texas, New Mexico and northeastern Mexico.

Arbutus species are used as food plants by some Lepidoptera species including Emperor Moth.

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.

Some species in the genera Epigaea, Arctostaphylos and Gaultheria were formerly classified in Arbutus. As a result of its past classification, Epigaea repens (Mayflower) has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".

Uses and symbolism

The bear and the tree at Puerta del Sol, Madrid

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. In the center of the city (Puerta del Sol) there is a statue of a bear eating the fruit of the Madroño tree. The image appears on city crests, taxi cabs, man-hole covers, and other city infrastructure.

The Arbutus was 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 figured into certain myths of the Straits Salish.^[4]

The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten.

Arbutus is a great 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 doesn't grow in straight timbers.

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Arbutus menziesii—full tree	Arbutus menziesii—flowers	Arbutus menziesii—bark	Arbutus unedo—Corsica
Arbutus unedo—leaves and fruit	Arbutus unedo—fruit	Photographed in Los Altos, CA, Redwood Nature Preserve

References

1. ^ Pojar, Jim; Andy MacKinnon (1994). Plants of Coastal British Columbia. Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing. pp. 49. ISBN 978-1551050423. 
2. ^ Francis, Daniel (2000). The Encyclopedia of British Columbia (2nd ed. ed.). Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing. pp. 20. ISBN 978-1550172003. 
3. ^ Hileman, L.C., Vasey, M.C. & Parker, V.T. 2001. Phylogeny and Biogeography of the Arbutoideae (Ericaceae): Implications for the Madrean-Tethyan Hypothesis. Systematic Botany 26 (1): 131–143.
4. ^ Pojar and MacKinnon, 49

• 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.