Strawberry tree

Arbutus unedo

Flowers and last year's red fruit hang on the branches together in late autumn; best cooked into jam.

Type: small tree · berries and small fruit
Hardiness: zones 7 to 10
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 20 ft tall, 15 ft wide
Harvest: October to December
From: Mediterranean and SW Ireland
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Hardy in the Lake Erie shore climate (zone 6b to 7a), so it can live outdoors in the ground.

Good for: food, pollinators.

Native to: Mediterranean. Hardy in zones 7 to 10.

The story

The strawberry tree is the madroño of Madrid's coat of arms, where a bear reaches for its fruit; Portugal distils it into medronho and the Greeks made a wine Pliny warned about. It grows in the Mediterranean and, oddly, in southwest Ireland.

Planting

Full sun or part shade, drained acid to neutral soil, and mild winters; evergreen, slow, 15 to 25 feet. Self-fertile.

Growing

Water the first summers, then little. No pruning needed. Flowers and ripe fruit hang together in autumn.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens red in late autumn and must be fully soft; it is mildly sweet and gritty, best as jam or liqueur. Eat a few at a time.

What to watch for

Leaf spot in wet weather; otherwise tough.

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More berries and small fruit

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home