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arbutus
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Strawberry tree Madrona Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo)
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Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous
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Strawberry tree
Strawberry tree Ripening fruits of the strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo).

arbutus

tree
Also known as: Arbutus, madrone
Written and fact-checked by
Britannica Editors
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History
Taxonomy

See also list of plants in the family Ericaceae

arbutus, (genus Arbutus), genus of about 11 species of broad-leaved evergreen shrubs or trees of the heath family (Ericaceae). The plants are native to southern Europe and western North America, and several species are cultivated as ornamentals.

Physical description

Arbutus species are characterized by white or pink bell-shaped flowers in loose terminal clusters and by many-seeded fleshy red or orange berries with a distinctive irregular surface. The simple leaves are alternate and stalked. Many species have a distinctive reddish bark.

Major species

Madrona
MadronaMadrona tree (Arbutus menziesii).

Variously known as madrona, Pacific madrona, laurelwood, and Oregon laurel, A. menziesii occurs in western North America from British Columbia to California. It grows about 23 meters (75 feet) tall. The dark oblong glossy leaves are 5–15 cm (2–6 inches) long and are coloured grayish green beneath. The whitish flowers grow in pyramidal clusters 7–23 cm (3–9 inches) tall. As the tree grows, the old bark peels off, revealing reddish or cinnamon-colored bark beneath. Texas madrone (A. xalapensis) and Arizona madrone (A. arizonica) are both found in the southwestern United States and into northern Mexico.

Venus's-flytrap. Venus's-flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) one of the best known of the meat-eating plants. Carnivorous plant, Venus flytrap, Venus fly trap
Britannica Quiz
Plants: From Cute to Carnivorous

The strawberry tree (A. unedo) is native to temperate coastal regions of the Mediterranean but was introduced into warm regions of western North America. It grows 3–9 meters (10–30 feet) tall, with one to several trunks, and has lustrous elliptic or oblong leaves about 9 cm (3.5 inches) long. The branches are sticky and hairy. The white or pinkish flowers droop in clusters, and the fruit, edible but fairly tasteless, resembles a strawberry in size and color. The Greek strawberry tree (A. andrachne), found in the Mediterranean region and the Middle East, also has edible fruits.

The trailing arbutus belongs to the genus Epigaea, also a member of Ericaceae.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Melissa Petruzzello.