Arbutus are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible red berries. Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening. Peak flowering for the genus is in April with peak fruiting in October.
Common names
Members of the genus are called madrones or madronas in the United States, from the Spanish namemadroño. On the southcoast of British Columbia, Canada, where the species is common, arbutus is commonly used or, rarely and locally, tick tree. 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 genera Epigaea, Arctostaphylos and Gaultheria were formerly classified in Arbutus. As a result of its past classification, Epigaea repens has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".
Systematics
A study published in 2001 which analyzed ribosomal DNA from Arbutus and related genera suggests that Arbutus is paraphyletic and the Mediterranean Basin species of Arbutus are more closely related to Arctostaphylos, Arctous, Comarostaphylis, Ornithostaphylos and Xylococcus than to the western North American species of Arbutus, and that the split between the two groups of species occurred at the Paleogene/Neogene boundary. The 12 species are as follows:
Arbutus × andrachnoides Link : this hybrid has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.
Arbutus × androsterilis in Canary Islands
Arbutus × thuretiana Demoly
Arbutus × reyorum
Formerly placed here
Arctostaphylos tomentosa Lindl.
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi Spreng.
Comarostaphylis discolor Diggs
Gaultheria phillyreifolia Sleumer
Natural history
Arbutus species are used as food plants by some Lepidoptera species including emperor moth, Pavonia pavonia and the madrone butterfly. The distribution of the latter species is in fact heavily affected by the distribution of the madrone.
Uses and symbolism
Several species are widely cultivated as ornamental plants outside of their natural ranges, though cultivation is often difficult due to their intolerance of root disturbance. The hybrid Arbutus 'Marina' is much more adaptable and thrives under garden conditions. The Arbutus unedo tree makes up part of the coat of arms of the city ofMadrid, Spain. A statue of a bear eating the fruit of the madroño tree stands in the center of the city. The image appears on city crests, taxi cabs, man-hole covers, and other city infrastructure. The Arbutus was important to the Straits Salish 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 figured into certain myths of the Straits Salish. The fruit is edible but has minimal flavour and is not widely eaten. In Portugal, the fruit is sometimes distilled into a potent brandy known as medronho. In Madrid, the fruit is distilled into madroño, a sweet, fruity liqueur. Arbutus is a great fuelwood tree since it burns hot and long. Many Pacific Northwest states in the United States use the wood of A. menziesii primarily as a heat source, as the wood holds no value in the production of homes since it doesn't grow in straight timbers. My love's an arbutus is the title of a poem by the Irish writer Alfred Perceval Graves, set to music by his compatriot Charles Villiers Stanford The Canadian songwriter, singer and painter, Joni Mitchell, 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.
Cultural significance
According to the Straits Salish, an anthropomorphic form of pitch 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 was Douglas fir, who took most of the pitch, the grand fir received a small portion, and the madrone received none - which is why they say it still has no pitch. Also, according to the Great Flood legends of several bands in the northwest, the madrone helped people survive by providing an anchor on top of a mountain. Because of this the Saanich people do not burn madrone out of thanks for saving them.
