Arbutus

views updated May 18 2018

Arbutus (family Ericaceae) A genus of evergreen shrubs or small trees that have dark green leaves and clusters of small, white or pink, bell-shaped flowers. The fruit is a globose, warty berry with mealy flesh, edible in A. unedo (strawberry tree, native in Ireland and south-western Europe). American A. menziesii (madroña laurel) has useful timber. There are 14 species occurring in N. and Central America, southern Europe, the Canary Islands, and western Asia.

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