Irish Strawberry

[PAC]

I picked this tree up a couple of years ago from Ray Nesci's. I've trimmed and wired it a little, the branches are very brittle, repotted and leaned it forward. It's been fed well and now has twice as much foliage but this is this first time it has flowered, now I know why it's called a 'strawberry tree'!

[shibui]

That's only flowers PAC. Wait until you see the fruit - round, red, with little spots all over like a round strawberry. That's why its called a strawberry tree.
In some places they self seed freely in the bush so they must be pretty tough. Old trees have wonderful shapes so I hope you can make a great bonsai from this one.

[elljuu]

O.m.g.. I love strawberries. I didn't know that tree existed. Is it an Australian native?

[shibui]

Arbutus unedo - Irish strawberry. Native to Mediterranean and Western Europe right through to (you guessed it) Ireland (so not an Aussie native)

Though the fruits look a bit like round strawberries I have seen a description - 'relished by birds and small boys' - definitely not strawberry flavoured though - I have tried

There's also another species - Arbutus canariensis - Canary island strawberry tree (anyone want to guess where that one comes from?) which has beautiful smooth shiny bark a bit like crepe myrtle.

[xIIRevoEvoS]

Wait Wait...so it flowers but also fruits an edible strawberry. An edible strawberry

[Webos]

Here's my little Irish strawb. Dug it 4 or 5 years back as a weed in the forest.

Adam

[Joel]

Wait Wait...so it flowers but also fruits an edible strawberry. An edible strawberry

Yes. But the species name "unedo" means "eat one". I've read different interpretations of what can happen if you eat multiple, ranging from getting sick to getting drunk and even getting high. I've taken the advice and eaten a single fruit. There was no flavour or effect (was hoping for a strawberry daiquiri). I wouldn't bother eating one again but they are beautiful trees. Surprisingly, they are related to Azalea and Epacris.

Joel

[Josh]

We had a big tree in a nursery I worked in. The parrots would come and strip it bare the fall down drunk. Was very funny to watch.

Josh

[PAC]

Ok I didn't know about the fruit. I'm just a hundred metres from the Garrigal National Park and we are visited by lots of the local animals and birds. The possums have chewed on a few trees and the white cockatoos chew on a few others. Maybe I'd better move my tree to a safer location, sound like the fruit could be a target.

[xIIRevoEvoS]

Wait Wait...so it flowers but also fruits an edible strawberry. An edible strawberry

Yes. But the species name "unedo" means "eat one". I've read different interpretations of what can happen if you eat multiple, ranging from getting sick to getting drunk and even getting high. I've taken the advice and eaten a single fruit. There was no flavour or effect (was hoping for a strawberry daiquiri). I wouldn't bother eating one again but they are beautiful trees. Surprisingly, they are related to Azalea and Epacris.

Joel

Like crabapple tree...its sour and if you eat too much you will get sick but the seeds are poisoness. ie: sore tummy or even worse diaherria.
But I must say that I'm definitely paying Nesci a visit this week for Maples and off course an irish strawberry tree starter/pre bonsai

[AirControl]

The fruit has to be ripe. Red and slightly soft to the touch. I personally think that they're delicious.