Arbutus unedo vs Arbutus marina : How Do These Ornamental Trees Compare ?
When selecting decorative trees for the landscape , the strawberry tree is a unique option worth weigh . Two popular species are Arbutus unedo and Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ . While similar , these tree diagram have key differences in visual aspect , care , and suitability for various climates . Understanding how Arbutus unedo and Arbutus marina compare allows gardeners to choose the best fit for their demand
Origin and Relation
Arbutus unedo is aboriginal to Ireland , southern Europe and the Mediterranean . It has been educate since ancient times . The common name “ strawberry tree ” come from its red , bumpy fruit . Arbutus unedo ‘ Compacta ’ is a midget cultivar of this species .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ likely originated as a hybrid between Arbutus unedo and another Arbutus mintage , possibly the North American aboriginal Arbutus menziesii . It first appeared at a 1917 horticultural expounding in San Francisco . The hybrid ’s accurate parentage remains uncertain . As a hybrid , Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ is not considered a true native plant .
While come to , Arbutus unedo and Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ have noticeable remainder that bear on their performance .
growing Habit and Size
Arbutus unedo maturate as a large bush or little tree , reaching up to 30 feet tall and 35 feet encompassing at matureness . It has a rounded word form with low - hang offshoot . Without pruning , it grows in a dumb , domed shape .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ develops into a medium - sized Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree typically maturing at 25 - 40 foot tall and wide . It grows with a single trunk and rounded canopy . With pruning it can also be kept smaller as a garden shrub . But Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ has a more Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree - like structure than Arbutus unedo .
Both coinage grow at a slow to moderate charge per unit . But Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ ultimately reach a taller height as a tree . Arbutus unedo stays shrubby unless extensively pruned into a tree cast .
flush and Fruit
The flowers of Arbutus unedo and Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ are standardised – bunch of small , bell - shaped blooms hanging from the branches . Arbutus unedo flowers are white to get off pink . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ flowers are hopeful pinkish to Red River .
They blossom in twilight and early winter . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ also blooms sporadically in spring and summertime . Both Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree flower and yield at the same time , extending seasonal stake .
The strawberry - like fruits are round , bumpy , and plough ruby-red when ripe . Arbutus unedo fruit are up to 1 inch wide . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ fruits are slightly smaller at 3/4 column inch across . The fruits have meek flavor and can be corrode fresh or made into jams . But they are not notably tasty .
leafage and Bark
Arbutus unedo has oval , leathery impart with serrated edge . They are 2 - 4 inches long . The foliage is dark green above and pale below .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ leaves are also ellipse and leathery but reach 4 - 5 inches long . The leaves are lustrous green on top and bronze underneath when newly emerging .
Both species feature attractive barque – smooth when youthful but tear up with geezerhood to unwrap Ceylon cinnamon or orange tones underneath . This sculptured barque supply year - round cosmetic value .
clime Adaptability
A key divergence between these two trees is their climate tolerance . Arbutus unedo boom in mild Mediterranean climates with cool , wet winter and long , dry summers . It fight with extreme cold or rut .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ adapts to a broad reach of climate including colder winters and hotter summers . It can care dry conditions than Arbutus unedo . The hybrid vigor makes it better suit for garden beyond its native clime range .
Care requirement
Both Arbutus species involve well - drained stain and should not sit in sloshed conditions . Arbutus unedo requires more frequent lacrimation while establish . But once mature it also tolerates some drouth .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ is moderately drought patient of when its root system is extensive . It is less prone to root guff than Arbutus unedo .
These trees need little pruning or plant food once grown . Pests like scale , thrips , and aphids may sometimes be a nuisance but are not serious .
Since Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ adapts well to vary soils and watering atmospheric condition , it is generally easier to grow . But both require patience as slow growing trees .
Garden Uses
With its dense , vaulted shape , Arbutus unedo throw a fine evergreen plant hedging or screening shrub with minimal trimming . The misrepresented ramification can also create artistic shape . Pruning into a modest tree form look at commitment .
The vertical body structure of Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ better lends itself to shaping as a individual or multi - trunk small tree . It provides dappled shade beneath . The peeling orange bark and weeping flowers showcase well as a garden focal point .
Both function nicely in interracial borders or specimen plantings . They attract wildlife with pollen - copious efflorescence and fruit that birds savour . For coastal garden , Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ may palm salinity spray better than Arbutus unedo .
Compact Varieties
For smaller blank space , summary Arbutus cultivars are available . Arbutus unedo ‘ Compacta ’ reaches just 8 - 10 substructure tall and wide – splendid for container .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ nanus cultivar include ‘ Elfin King ’ at 5 feet tall and ‘ Oktoberfest ’ maturing under 10 ft . These compact natural selection get flowers and fruits even when unseasoned . They are idealistic for residential yards with circumscribed elbow room .
Key Differences Summary :
Arbutus unedo is a big evergreen plant shrub while Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ turn as a modest ornamental tree .
Arbutus unedo maxes out around 30 feet tall and 35 foot panoptic . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ can strain 40 foot tall and wide .
Arbutus unedo flowers are white to pale pink . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ has bright pinkish - crimson heyday .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ adapts to a all-inclusive range of climates and gardening condition .
Arbutus unedo suits formal hedgerow and screens . Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ make well as a focal point specimen tree .
Dwarf cultivar of both metal money are uncommitted for heavyset space .
In desirable climate , Arbutus unedo and Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ both make outstanding evergreen garden plants . Their architectural shapes , attractive prime and fruit , and ornamental bark provide year - daily round smasher . debate the mature size , climate resiliency , and growth substance abuse of each species to take the best pick for your landscape visual modality . With proper care , these unique trees offer delicious , low - alimony colouring .
Santa Barbara Beautiful Tree of the Month – January 2018
The January Tree - of - the - Month is the Marina Strawberry Tree , Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ , but this tree can be used in all four seasons in Santa Barbara . It ’s a favorite tree choice for our home gardens , park , and commercial landscape painting because it reckon good all year and is easy to take care of . This tree is very pop , and it merit it . It has beautiful prime pendant , fruit that looks unspoiled , and trunks and branch that calculate like sculptures .
It was a comparatively new ( 1984 ) introduction to baby’s room and landscaping . All of the ones you’re able to buy today are from a line that first showed up at a horticultural exhibition in 1917 and was then care for in a now - unsympathetic greenhouse in San Francisco ’s Marina district , which is where the name “ Marina ” comes from . It looks like a cross between the usual Arbutus mintage ( Arbutus unedo ) , which has been acquire for hundreds of age in the Mediterranean and Europe , and another Arbutus species . It looks a lot like our aboriginal Madrone tree ( Arbutus menziesii ) , but the ‘ Marina ’ variety can grow in a extensive mountain range of condition and is easier to domesticate .
The leaves are 4 to 5 inches long , shiny , dark green on top and light super C on the bottom . The canopy is dense and round . Pink to red Melville Bell - form flower pendent can blossom all year , but most of them are in bloom in the spill and winter . The fruit is a ¾-inch round berry with rough skin that is white-livered at first and turns strawberry scarlet when ripe . This is how the tree get its unwashed name , Strawberry Tree . While the fruit is comestible , it tastes more like a mealy Actinidia deliciosa than a hemangioma simplex ! .
Since the yield ripen in the fall , you could see both the flowers and the fruit on the tree diagram at the same time , which make water it look more beautiful . The fruits pull seeded player - run through birds , while the nectar- and pollen- bearing peak pull in bees and humming birds . The lightsome - gray bark on the remote vesture away in fragile strips over fourth dimension , revealing the reddish to cinnamon - dark-brown bark inside . This is probably the most interesting affair about this Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree .
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ can produce to be over 40 feet marvelous and wide , while the average Strawberry Tree only bewilder to be 20 substructure tall . It farm slowly , which is good , because it think of it can jibe into almost any garden size with piddling pruning and forethought . This beautiful cross is amazingly tough . It can manage drouth and most types of territory , but ancestor and leaf diseases can happen if it get too much urine or does n’t drain well .
The Marina Strawberry Tree can be grown with multiple automobile trunk to make a wide feature in the garden , or it can be grown with only one torso for smaller , more confined area . In all conformation , this fine Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree adds amazing beauty to any garden , all year long ! .
The 1500 and 1600 block of Mountain Avenue and the 1900 block of Bath Street all have street tree . individual garden Tree are come up at Sola Street at Mountain Avenue and at Micheltorena Street at Chino Street . There are two mature trees in East Alameda Park by Kids ’ World .
Tree - of - the - Month clause are pay for by Santa Barbara Beautiful . One of their many goals is to make people more mindful of and appreciative of Santa Barbara ’s many beautiful trees . They have worked with the City Parks for a long time to do this .
Article and pic by David Gress
Strawberry Tree Fruit Review (Arbutus Unedo) – Weird Fruit Explorer – Ep. 71
FAQ
What is the difference between Arbutus marina and arbutus unedo ?
What is the common name for Arbutus Marina ?
What is another name for arbutus Unedo ?
Are Arbutus marina trees messy ?
What is the difference between Arbutus unedo and Muntingia silkwood ?
The unwashed name for both Arbutus unedo and Muntingia calabura is “ strawberry tree diagram , ” but they are actually two unlike species . To forfend confusion , the Muntingia silk wood is also call the Jamaican cherry , as well as the strawberry mark Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree . It grows quicker than the Arbutus unedo . The Jamaican cherry trees berry tastes like cotton candy .
Is Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ a received tree ?
This is our top merchandising Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree and we rise it both as a “ Standard ” that is high headed and useful in patio or for street tree diagram use and also in a lifelike grim ramification form ( sometimes falsely called a “ multi ” ) – for images and info on the natural low forking form plants see our listing at Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ ( crushed branching ) .
What does Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ search like ?
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ ( stock signifier ) – A culture medium to large evergreen Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree , grow to 25 - 50 + feet improbable with a blanket dense jacket crown and annual ontogenesis stimulate older barque to peel away from the trunk and branch , revealing the beautiful lustrous red raw barque underneath .
Is ‘ Marina ’ a loanblend of Arbutus ?
A. ‘ Marina ’ is a cross of European specie of Arbutus named and introduced in 1984 by the Saratoga Horticultural Research Foundation ( SHRF ) . See its SHRF Plant Culture Data Sheet for banker’s bill on its possible parentage .
Where did Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ come from ?
Arbutus ‘ Marina ’ was named and introduced into the California nursery trade in 1984 by the Saratoga Horticultural Foundation from cuttings taken from a tree in the San Francisco garden of Carla and Victor Reiter , though the descent of this tree remains a mo of a mystery . Mr.
Is Arbutus a hybrid ?
It seems to be a hybrid of the standard Arbutus mintage ( Arbutus unedo , cultivated for centuries in the Mediterranean and Europe ) coalesce with another Arbutus species .
