Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is an unusual landscaping plant because it has both flowers and fruits present at the same time during fall and winter. Handsome dark green leaves have finely toothed edges and are evergreen. Attractive shaggy cinnamon-brown bark provides more color on the trunk and branches. Native to Mediterranean climates of southern Europe, southwestern Ireland and Israel, strawberry tree grows in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8b through 11.
Plant Growth Characteristics
Strawberry tree grows slowly to an eventual height of over 20 feet, but specimens of this stature are unusual. It needs slow moderate pruning over time to develop the tree-like form, and it grows as a medium to large shrub when younger. White fragrant flowers are pendant and narrowly bell-shaped, appearing at branch tips. Round bumpy-textured fruits give the tree its common name. They take a year to ripen, turning from green to yellow, then orange, and finally bright red -- a beautiful contrast to the pale flowers. Ripe berries are edible but not very flavorful and are sometimes used in preserves. In Portugal, Greece and Sicily, fruit is made into a strong-tasting wine.
With strawberry tree's slower growth, the plant has a tidy growth habit and little pruning is needed. If kept as a shrub, the main consideration is to keep it to size. Prune lightly and gradually each season in late winter or early spring, focusing on crowded, crossing and damaged growth, and branches that are touching the ground, growing too long or into other plants. To grow the plant as a tree, choose a single leader and gradually encourage upright growth and development of a spreading crown.
Cultivars mostly are smaller-growing than the species, and need very little pruning. "Elfin King" is a small-growing cultivar that has a contorted dwarf form, growing from 3 to 5 feet tall, and can have months-long flowering and fruiting. "Compacta" grows from 6 to 10 feet tall and has bronze new growth and fewer flowers. "Rubra" has deep pink flowers and is smaller than the species. "Croomei" has dark pink flowers approaching red which are larger than usual. "Oktoberfest" grows 5 to 8 feet tall and has dark rose pink flowers. "Quercifolia" has irregularly lobed leaves somewhat resembling oak leaves, which can have red veins. "Integerrima" lacks the little teeth along the leaf edges.
Strawberry tree grows in both sun and partial shade. Protect seedlings and young plants from cold temperatures and cold winds. The plant develops a deep taproot and becomes drought-tolerant with establishment. It is also salt-tolerant and can be used in coastal areas. Strawberry tree will tolerate a range of soil types as long as they have good drainage. If Arbutus unedo becomes damaged due to excessive cold, wait until it is clear which wood is still alive before removing dead and damaged tissue. Smaller cultivars make good container specimens, and light pruning in winter or spring is needed to shape container plants and keep them in bounds.
Your Planting Articles
- Plants for a Future: Arbutus Unedo - L.
- University of Florida IFAS Extension: Arbutus Unedo: Strawberry-Tree
- World Agroforestry: Arbutus Unedo
- Royal Horticultural Society: Shrubs and Trees: Light Pruning
- Cultivars of Woody Plants, Volume 1; TCR Press
- San Francisco Botanical Garden Collections: In Bloom: Arbutus Unedo "Strawberry Tree"