Leaf
jpm, Tela Botanica · CC BY-SA 2.0
Strawberry tree
Arbutus unedo L.
Family: Ericaceae
2 to 5 m tall, sometimes more in a sheltered position
Garrigue and Mediterranean forests
Flowering: October – December
Full sun
Part shade
Fairly hardy, to about -12°C
❓ How do you recognise this plant?
Often carries the flowers and the previous year's fruits at the same time, a rarity among our shrubs.
🍃 Leaves
Evergreen, leathery, toothed, glossy
🌸 Flowers
Small white bells in drooping clusters
🍎 Fruits
Round fruits 1 to 2 cm across, red when ripe, surface covered with small pyramid-shaped bumps.
🪵 Bark
Reddish-brown, peeling in fine strips
🗺️ Distribution
Mediterranean region, Atlantic seaboard as far as Ireland; common in the French Mediterranean maquis.
🐝 Value for pollinators
Autumn flowering in white bells, an important late resource for bees when few other plants are in flower.
✂️ Horticultural uses
Planted as a specimen, in beds or in informal hedges in the Mediterranean region for its evergreen foliage and decorative fruits.
⚠️ Possible toxicity
No known toxicity; fruits edible though bland.
🌿 Other Ericaceae to discover
ℹ️ Educational profile — do not use it to judge whether a plant is edible or safe.
🌱 This database is constantly evolving — species and information are added and corrected regularly. Spotted a mistake? Report it below.
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