Arbutus × andrachnoides

Arbutus × andrachnoides, the hybrid strawberry-tree, is the result of a cross between Arbutus andrachne (eastern strawberry-tree) and Arbutus unedo (Irish strawberry tree). It is a naturally occurring hybrid, but hybrid cultivars have also been created. It has gained the RHS's Award of Garden Merit.^[2]

Arbutus × andrachnoides
An unusually large specimen at Jardin des plantes de Nantes
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Arbutus
Species:	A. × andrachnoides
Binomial name
Arbutus × andrachnoides Link[1]
Synonyms
Arbutus × hybrida Ker Gawl.

Young specimens of A. × andrachnoides possess the dark bark of A. unedo, but older trees have exfoliations revealing an orangish bark.^[3]

The first parental species, A. andrachne, also hybridized with A. canariensis to yield another hybrid, Arbutus × thuretiana Demoly, nothosp. nov..^[3]

Description

It is impossible to distinguish Arbutus × andrachnoides individuals from the parent species using traditional botanical methods since they display a complete spectrum of parental traits. DNA testing and statistical methods centered on characterizing the intermediacy of the individual must be used instead.^[4]

Gallery

• Different parts of Arbutus × andrachnoides
• 
  Leaves
• 
  Bark