Author Topic: Arbutus / strawberry tree  (Read 2409 times)

Plantinyum

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Arbutus / strawberry tree
« on: December 19, 2020, 06:37:29 PM »
Is anyone growing this, is it worth the trouble ? I'm considering of baying a plant and would like to hear any reviews regarding taste of fruit, easiness of growing  , hardiness etc .. thanks for any feedback !!

Tropical Bay Area

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #1 on: December 19, 2020, 07:13:28 PM »
Is anyone growing this, is it worth the trouble ? I'm considering of baying a plant and would like to hear any reviews regarding taste of fruit, easiness of growing  , hardiness etc .. thanks for any feedback !!
Well I tasted one, texture is bad, taste is like a peach with no sweetness
Cheers!

Muni

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #2 on: December 19, 2020, 09:44:59 PM »
It depends. Makes a very appreciated brandy. It gets sweeter with the cold. I saw it growing where it snows, wikipedia says it is hardy to zone 7. It does ferment very quickly and bruises easily. I like it but i don't really eat it often. The leaves are medicinal. It attracts butterflies and looks and feels good. Easy to grow.
Portuguese info https://flora-on.pt/#/1arbutus
« Last Edit: December 19, 2020, 10:07:36 PM by Muni »
Allow yourself to know, if you wish, that this is a multi dimensional communication.
See what happens.

giorgosgr.

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #3 on: December 20, 2020, 02:51:29 AM »
It depends. Makes a very appreciated brandy. It gets sweeter with the cold. I saw it growing where it snows, wikipedia says it is hardy to zone 7. It does ferment very quickly and bruises easily. I like it but i don't really eat it often. The leaves are medicinal. It attracts butterflies and looks and feels good. Easy to grow.
Portuguese info https://flora-on.pt/#/1arbutus

We have many trees growing in the wild. But i have never seen any above 1000m from sealevel where temps can go under -10°C. I think it is a little more hardy than an olive tree.

giorgosgr.

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #4 on: December 20, 2020, 02:56:26 AM »
Is anyone growing this, is it worth the trouble ? I'm considering of baying a plant and would like to hear any reviews regarding taste of fruit, easiness of growing  , hardiness etc .. thanks for any feedback !!

I have several plants of arbutus unendo and i think they are really good.
First of all they can be very pretty. At the same time they have yellow (unripe fruits), ripe fruits (red) and many many white or pink flowers.
Secondly, i enjoy a lot the fruits, both the texture and the taste. The texture is indeed a little grainy and more pudding like rather than juicy. The taste is really good and when overripe the fruits starts fermenting on the tree.
Finally, it is almost impossible to grow from seeds. Each year hundreds of fruits fall on the ground and i havent seen any seedlings.

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #5 on: December 20, 2020, 03:46:17 AM »
Thanks everyone, I agree the plant is def appealing to the eye . We have them growing here in Strandzha  mauntain , so I have read.

shiro

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #6 on: December 20, 2020, 06:13:09 AM »
This tree is a nitrogen fixer and therefore very useful.
Then it is also interesting for bees and birds at a time of the year when fruits are rare.

The fruits do not all ripen at the same time, which allows a large harvest period.

As far as their use is concerned I think they are very interesting for the transformation into jam, sorbet...

Because processed I found a taste of mango ice cream particularly interesting.
But eaten fresh you should avoid eating a lot of it.

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #7 on: December 20, 2020, 08:27:16 AM »
Thank u all ,I decided I will by myself one plant , it seems to be quite useful and versatile.

shaneatwell

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #8 on: December 20, 2020, 12:50:33 PM »
I have a few. Pretty tree. Fruit is pleasant. Like an apricot paste.  Seeds are annoying. Get stuck in your teeth and need a toothpick to remove. Marina has nice fruit and the most beautiful bark. Elfin king fruit is a bit better and way more productive. You might have access to better named varieties though.

I’ve never seen volunteers under trees but haven’t had too much trouble manually germinating.
Shane

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #9 on: December 20, 2020, 12:55:36 PM »
I have a few. Pretty tree. Fruit is pleasant. Like an apricot paste.  Seeds are annoying. Get stuck in your teeth and need a toothpick to remove. Marina has nice fruit and the most beautiful bark. Elfin king fruit is a bit better and way more productive. You might have access to better named varieties though.

I’ve never seen volunteers under trees but haven’t had too much trouble manually germinating.
the place that I will order my plant does not have them named under varieties , here they are rare to come by in nurseries....

shiro

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #10 on: December 20, 2020, 01:22:32 PM »
I have a few. Pretty tree. Fruit is pleasant. Like an apricot paste.  Seeds are annoying. Get stuck in your teeth and need a toothpick to remove. Marina has nice fruit and the most beautiful bark. Elfin king fruit is a bit better and way more productive. You might have access to better named varieties though.

I’ve never seen volunteers under trees but haven’t had too much trouble manually germinating.

shaneatwell.
Are you sure it's the seeds and not the skin of the fruit?
I have rarely been bothered by the seeds but I find the skin a bit stony.

shaneatwell

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #11 on: December 20, 2020, 01:51:53 PM »
Yep.
Shane

SoCal2warm

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #12 on: December 20, 2020, 01:53:57 PM »
The fruits are certainly edible, but there's not really anything that wonderful about them, and they have little edible flesh, and some small seeds that you kind of have to chew around.

The flavor, to me, is like a mix of mango, strawberry, and apricot, and they have more the texture/consistency of partially cooked pumpkin, maybe a little bit of the texture of a mango, medium in ripeness. They are not really the strongest in flavor, and are maybe just a little bit bland.

Usually the trees are not considered worth it for their fruit alone, but are desirable for a combination of ornamental small tree and partial edibility.
You might only want to eat only a few (1-4) of the fruits and will not feel like snacking on any more at a time. It does take some work to nibble small bites around the inner part that contains the seeds, since the fruits are already small.

The flesh of the fruits is just a tiny bit grainy, as well.
« Last Edit: December 20, 2020, 02:00:35 PM by SoCal2warm »

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #13 on: December 20, 2020, 02:57:56 PM »
The fruits are certainly edible, but there's not really anything that wonderful about them, and they have little edible flesh, and some small seeds that you kind of have to chew around.

The flavor, to me, is like a mix of mango, strawberry, and apricot, and they have more the texture/consistency of partially cooked pumpkin, maybe a little bit of the texture of a mango, medium in ripeness. They are not really the strongest in flavor, and are maybe just a little bit bland.

Usually the trees are not considered worth it for their fruit alone, but are desirable for a combination of ornamental small tree and partial edibility.
You might only want to eat only a few (1-4) of the fruits and will not feel like snacking on any more at a time. It does take some work to nibble small bites around the inner part that contains the seeds, since the fruits are already small.

The flesh of the fruits is just a tiny bit grainy, as well.
thanks for the detailed explanation of the fruit, sounds enough well to me, i'm always looking for something new to add to my fruit collection ....

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #14 on: December 23, 2020, 02:04:24 AM »








Heres the plant that the nursery sent me , its tall around 1.60 cm . I'm happy with its size, it even has a cluster of flowers..

CherimoyaDude

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #15 on: December 24, 2020, 01:07:34 AM »
Marina variety fruit is bad, prefer other types I've tried more. Marina is the prettiest tree though.

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #16 on: December 24, 2020, 01:47:16 AM »
Marina variety fruit is bad, prefer other types I've tried more. Marina is the prettiest tree though.
checked marina variety, it makes huge flower clusters. I hope mine turns out to be a better tasting variety and that ends up setting some fruit on those flowers for me to taste next year.

NateTheGreat

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #17 on: December 24, 2020, 10:20:13 AM »
Source for Arbutus being a nitrogen fixer? I don't think it is. You might be thinking of Myrcia rubra. These fruits are not good. They are mushy, gritty, and lacking in flavor besides sweetness. Maybe they taste like mango, but it's not a comparison I ever thought of, and almost no one eats these a second time. The specific epithet is amazingly accurate, "The Latin name 'unedo' means 'I eat one (only)'"

I actually think the fruit on 'Marina' (A. unedo x A. andrachne) is a bit of an improvement, since at least it has a hint of something to balance the sweet. I just tasted one off one of my trees. It reminds me of orange sherbert, but I still threw away all but a nibble.

shaneatwell

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #18 on: December 24, 2020, 10:56:25 AM »
I’ve had some decent fruit off marina. And I eat fruit off my elfin king more often than gin berry or red strawberry guava. True only one each time. Id rank it equal with your average pineapple guava.
Shane

Tropical Bay Area

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #19 on: February 09, 2021, 08:34:56 PM »
Try it and if it’s good than keep it  ;)
Cheers!

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #20 on: February 10, 2021, 01:05:51 AM »
Try it and if it’s good than keep it  ;)
the plant is in a basement right now with a bit of light  and still holding to its spent flowers... hopefully thell manage to set fruit

850FL

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #21 on: February 18, 2021, 09:43:46 AM »
I’ve had some decent fruit off marina. And I eat fruit off my elfin king more often than gin berry or red strawberry guava. True only one each time. Id rank it equal with your average pineapple guava.

I planted a small marina thinking the fruit would be more edible like a lychee. I see what is really going on haha

Plantinyum

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #22 on: February 18, 2021, 10:02:32 AM »
I’ve had some decent fruit off marina. And I eat fruit off my elfin king more often than gin berry or red strawberry guava. True only one each time. Id rank it equal with your average pineapple guava.

I planted a small marina thinking the fruit would be more edible like a lychee. I see what is really going on haha
hahaha all I can say is RIP to my expectations...

D-Grower

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #23 on: April 03, 2021, 08:18:03 AM »
Heck I'd purchase one or a few of these to give them a try. If anyone in the States has this available hit me up!
Trying to grow it all!

850FL

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Re: Arbutus / strawberry tree
« Reply #24 on: April 04, 2021, 09:56:17 PM »
Bought mine online from Walmart, labeled as bonsai strawberry tree or something like that, from a nursery contracted with them.. came in a puny little pepper pot, like 10$ each I think