THE STRAWBERRY TREE

October 22, 2009

The Killarney Strawberry … Arbutus unedo

Arbutus unedo, commonly known as the Strawberry tree, is a stand out plant  as despite being native to Ireland, it is not native to Britain.

Also known as the Killarney Strawberry tree, due to its fruit, it can be found growing wild mainly in counties, Sligo, Cork, and Kerry, where rocky, well-drained soils greatly encourage its growth.

If you take a trip to Kerry visit the Killarney National Park, where there quite an abundance of Arbutus unedo trees.

 
It is an odd tree, which to me sometimes feels like it should not grow in the wild here at all. First off, in a country where most of our natives are leafless during the winter, its leaves are evergreen but not similar to those of a conifer.

This oval foliage (3 inch long) is quite leathery and laurel-like, comprising a glossy dark green upper with a gently toothed edge.

Although the Killarney Strawberry tree can be found with a single stem, it is more common to find it sprawling with three to four reddish brown trunks enhanced by cracked bark.

Red coloured bark is something I again find unusual to Ireland.

These stems are quite slow growing, rarely exceeding 10 metres (33 ft) by 10 metres in the space of fifty years.

When you look closely at the flower of Arbutus unedo, you will understand why it is classed as a member of the heather (Ericaceae) or heath family. They resemble those of the heather, a larger version of its upside down urn type flowers in bowed clusters.

These pretty flowers coloured white with a hint of pink, give off a soft scent of honey during their blooming period from November to December, while offering a good source of nectar and pollen for bees at a time when there isn’t much else about.As if the drooping blooms were not enough, the Killarney Strawberry tree can often be found blooming and fruiting at the same time. You see, blooming time is when the mature fruits from the previous years flowers become ripe. The lazy devils take 12 months to ripen from yellow through pink to red, but what a show they produce when displayed in tandem with the self-fertile flowers.

It is debatable whether the knobbly bright red fruits are truly strawberry-like, although the wrong shape (rounded), their ripe colour and size are quite close to that of a strawberry. They are also edible, but unlike the strawberry, not very tasty, with an unusual mealy texture. However, everything in nature has a use, especially in Portugal, where the 2 cm diameter fruits are fermented to make a strong tasting wine with an aggressive kick.

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