| Arbutus | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Arbutus unedo | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Subfamily: | Arbutoideae |
| Genus: | Arbutus L.[1] |
| Type species | |
| Arbutus unedo L. 1753 | |
| Species | |
See text | |
Arbutus is agenus of 12 accepted species[2] offlowering plants in the familyEricaceae,[3] native to temperate regions of theMediterranean, western Europe, theCanary Islands and North America, and commonly calledmadrones[4] orstrawberry trees. The nameArbutus was taken by taxonomists fromLatin, where it referred to the species now designatedArbutus unedo.[5]
Arbutus are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible redberries.[6] Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening.[6] Peak flowering for the genus is in April with peak fruiting in October.[7]
The smooth wood of the tree is mentioned byTheophrastus in hisEnquiry into Plants (Historia Plantarum) as formerly being used to make weaving spindles. An article on Arbutus tree cultivation inal-Andalus (inArabic:قُطلُب,romanized: quṭlub) is brought down inIbn al-'Awwam's 12th-century agricultural work,Book on Agriculture.[8]
Members of the genus are calledmadrones ormadronas in the United States, from the Spanish namemadroño (strawberry tree). On the southcoast ofBritish Columbia,Canada, where the species is common,arbutus is commonly used or, rarely and locally, "tick tree".[9][10] 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 generaEpigaea,Arctostaphylos andGaultheria were formerly classified inArbutus. As a result of its past classification,Epigaea repens (mayflower) has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".
A study published in 2001 which analyzedribosomal DNA fromArbutus and related genera suggests thatArbutus isparaphyletic and theMediterranean Basin species ofArbutus are more closely related toArctostaphylos,Arctous,Comarostaphylis,Ornithostaphylos andXylococcus than to the western North American species ofArbutus, and that the split between the two groups of species occurred at thePaleogene/Neogene boundary.[11] The 12 species are as follows:[2]
Arbutus species are used as food plants by someLepidoptera species including emperor moth,Pavonia pavonia and themadrone butterfly.[16] The distribution of the latter species is in fact heavily affected by the distribution of the madrone.[16] For Athenaios, it is the tree which Asclepiades of Myrlea talks about (Deiphnosophists, II.35)
Several species are widely cultivated asornamental plants outside of their natural ranges, though cultivation is often difficult due to their intolerance of root disturbance. The hybridArbutus 'Marina' is much more adaptable and thrives under garden conditions.
TheArbutus unedo tree makes up part ofthe coat of arms (El oso y el madroño, The Bear and the Strawberry Tree) of the city ofMadrid, Spain. A statue of a bear eating the fruit of the madroño tree stands in the center of the city (Puerta del Sol). The image appears on city crests, taxi cabs, man-hole covers, and other city infrastructure.
TheArbutus is important to the StraitsSalish 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 figures in myths of the Straits Salish.[17]
The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten. In Portugal, the fruit is sometimesdistilled (legally or not) into a potent brandy known asmedronho. In Madrid, the fruit is distilled into madroño, a sweet, fruity liqueur.
Arbutus is a good fuelwood tree since it burns hot and long. ManyPacific Northwest states in the United States use the wood ofA. menziesii primarily as a heat source,[citation needed] as the wood holds no value in the production of homes since it does not grow in straight timbers.
TheSaanich people of British Columbia have a prohibition against burning arbutus, due to its salvific role in their creation myths; an arbutus anchored theircanoes to the world during thedeluge.[18][19]
"My love's an arbutus" is the title of a poem by the Irish writerAlfred Perceval Graves (1846–1931), set to music by his compatriotCharles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924).
The Canadian songwriter, singer and painterJoni 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.
"I love arbutuses," celebrated French chefAlain Ducasse, recipient of 20 Michelin stars,has said(24:50). "Yes, I love arbutus honey. It's sweet honey that's also bitter. I'm obsessed with the bitterness."
According to the StraitsSalish, an anthropomorphic form ofpitch 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 wasDouglas fir, who took most of the pitch, thegrand fir received a small portion, and the madrone received none – which is why they say it still has no pitch.
Also, according to theGreat Flood legends of several bands in the northwest, the madrone helped people survive by providing an anchor on top of a mountain for their canoes. Because of this theSaanich people do not burn madrone out of thanks for saving them.[20][21][19]
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Arbutus L Ericaceae [...] Origins: [...] The old Latin namearbutus i for the wild strawberry-tree,Arbutus unedo L.; see Carl Linnaeus,Species Plantarum. 395. 1753 andGenera Plantarum. Ed. 5. 187. 1754.
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