Grid reference | ST 16934 80176 |
Common name | Strawberry tree |
Common name | Pink strawberry tree |
Common name | Killarney strawberry tree |
Alternative name | Arbutus unedo 'Rubra' |
Origin | SW Ireland & Mediterranean |
Deciduous | No |
Status | GB Champion 2019 |
Planted | late 1970s |
Height | 5.5M November 2019 |
Girth | 105cm @ 0.85M November 2019 |
Reference | 590 |
This tree is north of the bowling green, beside the Pedair Erw Road boundary.
Still present in March 2022.
General tree description
Arbutus unedo f. rubra is a form of the Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) discovered growing wild in Ireland in 1835. It has pink flowers rather than creamy-white.
Arbutus unedo is a small tree, sometimes reaching 15 metres in height, and with a dense, rounded shape. It has deep brown, shredding bark. The leaves are small (about 8cm long) and glossy dark green with serrated edges. Flowers and fruits are appear simultaneously in late autumn. The flowers, in drooping clusters, are creamy white and bell-shaped. The strawberry-like fruits emerge yellow and ripen to red the following autumn. The fruits are edible but not pleasant, and the Latin name unedo is said to mean "I eat only one", attributed to Pliny the Elder.