Arbutus unedo Strawberry Tree
This gnarled twisted tree, from Killarney in Ireland to the eastern Mediterranean, has rough, dark greyish brown bark. The white, pink, or greenish, bell-shaped flowers, 6mm (1⁄4in) long, appear in winter, in hanging bunches. The fruit ripens in autumn, and looks good but is virtually tasteless, hence the specific name, unedo (“I eat one”). The ovate to narrowly elliptic leaves, 7.5cm (3in) long, have blunt shallow teeth. The flowers on f.rubra are dark pink.
Cultivation Easily grown in a sheltered sunny position in well-drained soil. Tolerates alkaline soils.
Height to 9m (30ft); spread to 6m (20ft). USZ 9–11, surviving -3°C (7°F) of overnight frost. Tolerant of summer drought. Z7.