This non-native member of the Ericaceae family has been planted by some able Reading groundsperson only a few paces from my front door at Sherfield Hall.
Although Stace’s Flora (2010) notes its staus as ‘RRR’, (i.e. rare in Britain), the native distribution is restricted to Ireland, it is also naturalised in England and Wales and has been widely planted in gardens, as on Whiteknights Campus where, amongst many others, there is a fine specimen next to Park House. Let’s imagine for this post that we are not on campus but instead have found one of the few growing wild on limestone slopes schlepped by a high flying bird. I have good reason to choose it – beautiful autumn colour and its gripping subject of debate.
Arbutus unedo (or Strawberry Tree) is an evergreen tree (or shrub) native to the Mediterranean, Western France and with a disjunct population in South West Ireland. It has dark green alternate leaves, white to pinky bell-shaped flowers (think heather) and hanging strawberry-like fruit, hence the common name.
The fruit, which takes a year to ripen into succulent looking red balls, hang beside the pretty flowers of the current year. Tasty you would think. Well not everyone does as it’s widely reported that the name ‘unedo’ translates to ‘I eat one’ in reference to the lack of desire for another. So here I go, nothing like empirical research to decide an argument… munch munch, hmmmm. Verdict – tastes like a small ball of dried up old peach surrounded by tasteless hundreds and thousands. Case closed.
Pictures © Rye 2011