ARBUTUS UNEDO

The strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is an evergreen fruit tree belonging to the Ericaceae family. It is commonly found in countries bordering the western Mediterranean and along the southern coasts of Ireland. It is part of the typical vegetation of the Mediterranean scrub and forest. One of its most distinctive characteristics is the simultaneous presence, on the same specimen, of flowers and already ripe fruit. This occurs due to its particular vegetative cycle: flowering occurs in the same period in which the fruits generated by the flowers of the previous year ripen. The plant can have a shrub-like shape or grow like a real tree, reaching up to 10 meters in height. It is a broad-leaved, evergreen species, very branched and with young branches with a characteristic reddish color, which increase its ornamental value. It grows with a harmonious and orderly natural shape. The bark, dark and resistant, tends to flake off into small scales. Very long-lived, this plant can live for centuries. In favorable environments it can develop rapidly. Among the Mediterranean species, it is one of the most resilient to fires: after the passage of the fire, it is able to regenerate quickly thanks to the emission of new suckers. Although it adapts to different types of soil, it grows preferably on acid or sub-acid soils.