Strawberry Tree - Arbutus unedo

Southernland Association

Plants to Be recovered - The Strawberry Tree

Strawberry Tree - Arbutus unedo

Family: Ericaceae

Synonymous: Unedo edulis Hoffm.; Arbutus vulgaris Bub.

Area of origin: Basin of the Mediterranean

Known since the antiquity and quoted by Plinio and Teofrasto, rusticissima cries, resistant to the dry one and the cold climates thanks to its beautiful leathery leaves. It produces a fruit
wrinkled, tasty and rich of vit.C. you/he/she had called tree of Italy, because he/she introduced together leaves (green), flowers (white) and fruits (red). With the fruits they also did him
greedy jams.

Etymology of the name: The generic term has an ancient derivation from the Celtic roots 'ar' = sour, and 'butus' = bush, probably in allusion to the taste
sour of the leaves and of the fruits. The specific term is the Latin common name, used by Plinio, with which the plant was pointed out.

Botanical description: Small evergreen tree or bush to the spontaneous state, tall from 1 to 12 ms, pollonifero, with reddish bark of the young branches and
velvety, subsequently darker and scaled. The trunk introduces a thin bark, elegantly and regularly desquamata in long and tightened vertical plates of
brown-reddish color.
The leaves are alternate, oval, long up to 10 cms, toothed to the borders, of color green-dark and shiny on the superior page, clearer lower down.
The flowers, reunited in brief ears terminal corimbose, pendules, are small, of white-yellowish color, with wine glass to 5 brief lacinie and corolla urceolata.
The fruits are globular berries, with wrinkled surface, of color red-orange tree, grocerieses, with clear pulp, juicy and of sweetish taste.
Period of flowering: It blooms in autumn-winter, from September in January.

Fructification: It bears fruit between September and November of the following year, contemporarily to the new flowering.

Cultivation: Rustic plant, to slow growth, termofila, withstands the drought and fears the intense cold and prolonged. It has a preference for exposures sunny and well drained, better
if flinty, sandy.

Propagation: You multiplies for seed in spring or for wood scion semimaturo in late summer, but also for layering, layer or division of tiller.

Uses and affairs: Plant typical of the Mediterranean stain, ornamental purpose is used to in parks and gardens for the dense foliage and the showy fruits. As I plant with trees from fruit
it finds scarce given employment the rather insipid taste of the fruits. They, nevertheless, is used in the preparation of jams or, if made to ferment of drinks,
alcoholic. The leaves contain active principles (tannin and arbutoside) that they have astringent, antiseptic and diruetic action.
Rare the use to the fresh state.
The transformation foresees therefore: jams, glazes, syrups, juices, creams, sauces and candied.
If fermented damage the wine of corbezzole and distillates with digestive ownership.
From the fruits, leaves and flowers active principles are extracted with astringent ownership, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, antireumatiche.
The bark contains tannins industrially used for the production of dyes and for the tanning of the skins.
Gives the rapidity of growth, it finds employment in the reforestations for environmental purposes, protective and antierosivi. You/he/she is used in the sector florovivaistico for purpose
ornamental. Since the flowers appear in autumn-beginning winter, when the fruits of the preceding year are mature, the ornamental value of the plant is a lot
increased by such particularity.

Curiosity: It seems that the term 'unedo' you derive from the fact that the Romans advised to eat a solo fruit being this of difficulty digestion.

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