Arbutus x thuretiana 1883
Author: Jean-Pierre Demoly (1951-)Family: Ericaceae Subfamily: Arbutoideae
Genus: Arbutus
English name: Strawberry tree thuretiana
Zone: Mediterranean
Description
This species is an intermediate between Arbutus andrachne and Arbutus canariensis. They are only known from cultivation. The specific epithet commemorates the 19th century French botanist Gustave Thuret, a specialist in marine algae, who founded the Villa Thuret botanic garden.
Botanical Description
This is a shrub or small tree to 12m, typically multi-stemmed from a thick base. The bark is red, smooth, peeling in papery strips to reveal light beige-pink underbark which darkens in the sun. It has glandular-hairy young shoots.
The leaves are ovate to oblong, up to 13 x 3-6cm, 2.5-3 times as long as broad, margins usually entire or somewhat serrate on vigorous young shoots, dark green above, paler beneath, glabrous. The petiole is 15-30mm.
The inflorescence is an erect, terminal, many-flowered panicle with hairy major axes and pedicels. The pedicels lengthening to about 5cm in fruit. The corolla is urceolate, to 7mm, whitish. The ovary is hairy.
The fruits are rounded, 8-12mm across, the surface marked with a web of grooves, ripening orange red in autumn.
References
- Trees and Shrubs Online, International Dendrology Society. Arbutus x thuretiana
The leaves are ovate to oblong, up to 13 x 3-6cm, 2.5-3 times as long as broad, margins usually entire or somewhat serrate on vigorous young shoots, dark green above, paler beneath, glabrous. The petiole is 15-30mm.
The inflorescence is an erect, terminal, many-flowered panicle with hairy major axes and pedicels. The pedicels lengthening to about 5cm in fruit. The corolla is urceolate, to 7mm, whitish. The ovary is hairy.
The fruits are rounded, 8-12mm across, the surface marked with a web of grooves, ripening orange red in autumn.
References
- Trees and Shrubs Online, International Dendrology Society. Arbutus x thuretiana
References for the genus
- Flore forestière française : Guide écologique illustré, Jean-Claude Rameau, Dominique Mansion, Gérard Dumé & Christian Gauberville. 2003 Vol. 3 pag. 453-457. ISBN
- Flora Europaea, T. G. Tutin, V. H. Heywood, N. A. Burges, D. H. Valentine, S. M. Walters, D. A. Webb. 1968 Vol. 3 pag. 11. ISBN
- Flora iberica, Santiago Castroviejo. 2010 Vol. 4 pag. 514-516. ISBN
- Flora of North America. Arbutus
- Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, P.H. Davies. 1984 Vol. 6 pag. 99-100. ISBN
- Flore pratique du Maroc, Mohamed Fennane, Mohammed Ibn Tattou. 2007 Vol. 1 pag. 449. ISBN
- Mountain Flora of Greece, Volume 1, Arne Strid. 1989 Vol. (2) pag. 739-740. ISBN
- Flora Europaea, T. G. Tutin, V. H. Heywood, N. A. Burges, D. H. Valentine, S. M. Walters, D. A. Webb. 1968 Vol. 3 pag. 11. ISBN
- Flora iberica, Santiago Castroviejo. 2010 Vol. 4 pag. 514-516. ISBN
- Flora of North America. Arbutus
- Flora of Turkey and the East Aegean Islands, P.H. Davies. 1984 Vol. 6 pag. 99-100. ISBN
- Flore pratique du Maroc, Mohamed Fennane, Mohammed Ibn Tattou. 2007 Vol. 1 pag. 449. ISBN
- Mountain Flora of Greece, Volume 1, Arne Strid. 1989 Vol. (2) pag. 739-740. ISBN
General specifications
Indigenous plant
Biological type: shrub
Frost resistance: 14ºF
Leaf color: dark green
Flower color: white
Reproduction mode: hermaphrodite plant whoes flowers produce both male and female gametes
Specifications for the Mediterranean basin
Adult size (h x w): 16,4ft x 9,8ft
Sun exposure: part sun (Sun hours: >3h <6h Foliage: evergreen
Growth: slow
Flowering time from September until December
Specific information for our garden
Planting substrate: 20%Compost+40%Clay+40%Sand
Plant watering: 3x a week pH 6.5
Logical sequence of containers for: Trees; forestry plate, forestry pot 3L, container 6L, container 55L, container 110L, container 240L
Propagation is done by cuttings
Units in the garden: 10x
Ecology in its country of origin
Rainfall: 500-800mm
Gravelly soil: much
Sandy soil: much
Acidic soil: a little
Ornemental: a little
Frost resistance: 14ºF
Leaf color: dark green
Flower color: white
Reproduction mode: hermaphrodite plant whoes flowers produce both male and female gametes
Specifications for the Mediterranean basin
Adult size (h x w): 16,4ft x 9,8ft
Sun exposure: part sun (Sun hours: >3h <6h Foliage: evergreen
Growth: slow
Flowering time from September until December
Specific information for our garden
Planting substrate: 20%Compost+40%Clay+40%Sand
Plant watering: 3x a week pH 6.5
Logical sequence of containers for: Trees; forestry plate, forestry pot 3L, container 6L, container 55L, container 110L, container 240L
Propagation is done by cuttings
Units in the garden: 10x
Ecology in its country of origin
Rainfall: 500-800mm
Gravelly soil: much
Sandy soil: much
Acidic soil: a little
Ornemental: a little
Sowing instructions
SPRING Soak the seeds in ambient water for 12h. Keep in refrigerator at 39°F for 9 weeks in humid substrat. Sow the seeds at 2mm depth in the Well Drained Seed Sowing Mix between 50-59°F. During germination keep the substrate moist and protected from direct sunlight.
Experiences in the garden
31-10-12A Obtaining 10 plants from nursery Filippi, they are planted in zone(s) P27 (Cultivated from unknown origin)
01-04-21B Obtaining 3 plants from nursery Filippi, they are in our nursery Resin9 3x A45 (Cultivated from unknown origin)