Arbutus unedo
Enter the Gardens through the Clarkehouse Road gatehouse and immediately on your left nestled next to the Curator’s House, now Joni’s café, you will see a magnificent specimen of Arbutus unedo, the ‘Strawberry Tree.’ An evergreen, it is unusual in having flower and fruit at the same time, especially notable in the late autumn and early winter. An attractive and distinctive plant it was awarded the RHS AGM in 2002 and this particular example is the Yorkshire species champion.
A member of the Ericaceous family it forms a medium size tree with a short trunk but can also be also be grown as multi stemmed tree producing an architectural shape suiting contemporary naturalistic landscapes and exposed locations. As it matures the brown bark peels away to reveal a smooth, cinnamon-coloured layer underneath.
With a dense ovoid to round crown the glossy dark green leaves give a vibrant lush look providing a striking contrast to the dense panicles of small white flowers and the ripening fruits changing colour from pale, orange red to their final deep red colour, resembling strawberries. These are often said to be rather tasteless and the specific epithet is a contraction of the Latin unum edo (‘I eat one’), but they are used for jams and jellies, and in Portugal a traditional liqueur is made called medronho. The late flowering means it is valuable for bees and honey production.
Arbutus unedo will grow in many soil types but thrives best in moist, well drained situations and unusually for Ericaceous plants will grow in calcareous soils. It also has some tolerance for drought, and (sea) wind but should be protected against cold (sub-zero) wind hence a sheltered site is recommended. Otherwise, it is hardy to -15C although young plants might need some initial protection in colder spots. Up to 8 metres in height, but if controlled growth is required it responds well to hard pruning in March/April.
One of the common names of the ‘Strawberry tree’ is the ‘Killarney tree’ as it was long thought to be native to south-west Ireland as well as the Mediterranean basin including Spain and Portugal. Recent research though now suggests that the trees in south-west Ireland, which are genetically similar to those in northern Spain were in fact introduced by copper miners in the Neolithic period 4,000 years ago. It is thought it was used to make wine and produce charcoal. Plants of the World online produced by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew now shows it being introduced to Ireland.
