Median on Magnolia north of Wentworth

Strawberry tree is native to southern Europe and Ireland. The same genus as our native madrone, it is much more likely to be found in urban landscapes than the madrone.  It is an evergreen tree that will grow slowly to 30 ft. “Strawberry” refers to to the fruit which is edible, but not very sweet. It is not uncommon to see flowers and fruit in various stages of ripeness on the tree at the same time.

In recent years the cultivar ‘Marina’ is commonly seen. It has larger leaves, pink flowers and may not grow as large as strawberry tree.

Arbutus unedo flowers are white

Arbutus ‘Marina’ flowers are pink