genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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 (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
s in the family
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae are a 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 c.4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it th ...
, native to warm 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 north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
, western Europe, the Canary Islands and North America. The name ''Arbutus'' was taken from
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
, where it referred to ''
Arbutus unedo
''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common na ...
''.
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 or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, rasp ...
.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 (; grc-gre, Θεόφραστος ; c. 371c. 287 BC), a Greek philosopher and the successor to Aristotle in the Peripatetic school. He was a native of Eresos in Lesbos.Gavin Hardy and Laurence Totelin, ''Ancient Botany'', Routle ...
al-Andalus
Al-Andalus translit. ; an, al-Andalus; ast, al-Ándalus; eu, al-Andalus; ber, ⴰⵏⴷⴰⵍⵓⵙ, label= Berber, translit=Andalus; ca, al-Àndalus; gl, al-Andalus; oc, Al Andalús; pt, al-Ândalus; es, al-Ándalus () was the M ...
is brought down in
Ibn al-'Awwam
Ibn al-'Awwam ( ar, ابن العوام), also called Abu Zakariya Ibn al-Awwam ( ar, أبو زكريا بن العوام), was a Muslim Arab agriculturist who flourished at Seville (modern-day southern Spain) in the later 12th century. He wrote a ...
'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
The coast, also known as the coastline or seashore, is defined as the area where land meets the ocean, or as a line that forms the boundary between the land and the coastline. The Earth has around of coastline. Coasts are important zones in ...
of
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, 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
''Epigaea'' is a small genus of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. The species are small creeping shrubs that are typically anywhere from tall at full growth, forming large patches. The leaves are evergreen, alternate and simple, ranging a ...
'', ''
Arctostaphylos
''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.
There are about 60 species, of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arc ...
'' and ''
Gaultheria
''Gaultheria'' is a genus of about 135 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 pla ...
'' were formerly classified in ''Arbutus''. As a result of its past classification, ''
Epigaea repens
''Epigaea repens'', the mayflower, trailing arbutus, or ground laurel, is a low, spreading shrub in the family Ericaceae. It is found from Newfoundland to Florida, west to Kentucky and the Northwest Territories.
Description
The plant is a slow-g ...
'' (mayflower) has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".
Systematics
A study published in 2001 which analyzed
ribosomal DNA
Ribosomal DNA (rDNA) is a DNA sequence that codes for ribosomal RNA. These sequences regulate transcription initiation and amplification, and contain both transcribed and non-transcribed spacer segments.
In the human genome there are 5 chromo ...
from ''Arbutus'' and related genera suggests that ''Arbutus'' is paraphyletic and the Mediterranean Basin species of ''Arbutus'' are more closely related to ''
Arctostaphylos
''Arctostaphylos'' (; from "bear" and "bunch of grapes") is a genus of plants comprising the manzanitas () and bearberries. They are shrubs or small trees.
There are about 60 species, of ''Arctostaphylos'', ranging from ground-hugging arc ...
'', ''
Arctous
''Arctous'' is a genus of plants referred to by the common name "bearberry", a name sometimes shared with certain species of the related genus ''Arctostaphylos'', in particular, '' A. uva-ursi''. Although the two genera are related, certain char ...
'', ''
Comarostaphylis
''Comarostaphylis'' is a genus of shrubs in the heath family native to the Americas from California in the United States to Panama. These are hairy, glandular shrubs to small trees with shreddy bark, often quite similar to their close relatives, ...
'', ''
Ornithostaphylos
''Ornithostaphylos'' is a monotypic plant genus which contains the single species ''Ornithostaphylos oppositifolia'', commonly known as the Baja California birdbush or Baja California manzanita. A large, evergreen shrub in the heather family, th ...
'' 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. The 12 species are as follows:
Afro-Eurasia
* ''
Arbutus andrachne
''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islan ...
'' L. – Greek strawberry tree (Southeastern
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
and southwestern
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
Arbutus pavarii
''Arbutus pavarii'' is a species of plant in the heath family. It is endemic to Libya's Jebel Akhdar range in coastal Cyrenaica
Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika ( ar, برقة, Barqah, grc-koi, Κυρηναϊκή παρχίαKurēnaïk ...
'' Pampan. (
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
)
* ''
Arbutus unedo
''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common na ...
'' L. – strawberry tree ( Mediterranean Basin, western France, and western Ireland)
Americas
* ''
Arbutus arizonica
''Arbutus arizonica'', commonly known as Arizona madrone, is a tree species in the heath family that is native to the southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico. Its range extends along the Sierra Madre Occidental cordillera from the M ...
'' (A.Gray) Sarg. – Arizona madrone (
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and western
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
Arbutus bicolor
''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islan ...
'' S. González, M. González et P. D. Sørensen (
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
)
* ''
Arbutus madrensis
''Arbutus madrensis'' is a Mexican species of trees in the heath family. It is found in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Durango, Jalisco, Nayarit, and Sinaloa
Sinaloa (), officially the Estado Libre y Soberano de Sinaloa ( en, Free and Sovere ...
'' M. González – western Mexico
* '' Arbutus menziesii'' Pursh – Pacific madrone (West coast of North America from southern
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
to central (less frequently southern)
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
Arbutus mollis
''Arbutus mollis'' is a species of plant in the heath family. It is found in Mexico.Acta Botanica Mexicana 101: 49-81 (2012).''Arbutus mollis''/ref>
References
mollis
Mollis is a former municipality in the canton of Glarus in Switzerl ...
'' Kunth (
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
Arbutus xalapensis
''Arbutus xalapensis'', commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States (western Texas and New Mexico), an ...
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
,
New Mexico
)
, population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano)
, seat = Santa Fe
, LargestCity = Albuquerque
, LargestMetro = Tiguex
, OfficialLang = None
, Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...
and northeastern
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
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 (Nor ...
Arctostaphylos tomentosa
''Arctostaphylos tomentosa'' is a species of manzanita known by the common name woollyleaf manzanita or woolley manzanita. This shrub is endemic to California.
It is a resident of chaparral canyons, foothills, and lower-elevation mountains. On ...
'' (Pursh) Lindl. (as ''A. tomentosa'' Pursh)
*''
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
''Arctostaphylos uva-ursi'' is a plant species of the genus ''Arctostaphylos'' widely distributed across circumboreal regions of the subarctic Northern Hemisphere. Kinnikinnick ( First Nations for "smoking mixture") is a common name in Canada ...
''Arbutus'' species are used as food plants by some Lepidoptera species including emperor moth, ''
Pavonia pavonia
''Saturnia pavonia'', the small emperor moth, is a moth of the family Saturniidae. It was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of ''Systema Naturae''. Sometimes, the incorrect genus name ''Pavonia'' is still used for this ...
'' 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 that ...
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 (''El oso y el madroño'', The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city of
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
, Spain. A statue of a bear eating the fruit of the madroño tree stands in the center of the city (
Puerta del Sol
The Puerta del Sol (English: "Gate of the Sun") is a public square in Madrid, one of the best known and busiest places in the city. This is the centre ('' Km 0'') of the radial network of Spanish roads. The square also contains the famous clo ...
). 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 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 (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 (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as 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. Tho ...
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.
"My love's an arbutus" is the title of a poem by the Irish writer
Alfred Perceval Graves
Alfred Perceval Graves (22 July 184627 December 1931), was an Anglo-Irish poet, songwriter and folklorist. He was the father of British poet and critic Robert Graves.
Early life
Graves was born in Dublin and was the son of The Rt Rev. Cha ...
(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 era. Born to a well-off and highly musical family in Dublin, Stanford was educated at the ...
(1852–1924)
The Canadian songwriter, singer and painter Joni Mitchell (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.
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, who took most of the pitch, the
grand fir
''Abies grandis'' (grand fir, giant fir, lowland white fir, great silver fir, western white fir, Vancouver fir, or Oregon fir) is a fir native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California of North America, occurring at altitudes of sea leve ...
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 primaeval ...
legends of several bands in the northwest, the madrone helped people survive by providing an anchor on top of a mountain. Because of this the
Saanich people
The Saanich or (, ''Xwsenəč'') are indigenous nations from the north coast of the Gulf and San Juan Islands, southern Vancouver Island and the southern edge of the Lower Mainland in British Columbia.
Saanich bands
* – Malahat First Nation ...
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
''Arbutus'' is a genus of 12 accepted speciesAct. Bot. Mex no.99 Pátzcuaro abr. 2012.''Arbutus bicolor''/ref> of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, the Canary Islan ...
Arbutus unedo
''Arbutus unedo'' is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe. The tree is well known for its fruits, which bear some resemblance to the strawberry — hence the common na ...
Arbutus xalapensis
''Arbutus xalapensis'', commonly known as the Texas madrone, Amazaquitl, or Texas madroño, is a species of flowering plant in the heather family. It is native to Central America, the southwestern United States (western Texas and New Mexico), an ...
''
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''
See also
*''
Myrica rubra
''Myrica rubra'', also called yangmei (; Cantonese: yeung4 mui4; Shanghainese: ), , Chinese bayberry, red bayberry, yumberry, waxberry, or Chinese strawberry (and often mistranslated from Chinese as arbutus) is a subtropical tree grown for its f ...
'', a different plant bearing a similar fruit, whose name is sometimes inaccurately translated from Chinese as ''Arbutus''