a, fruit; b, section of fruit.
Arbutus, a genus of small trees and shrubs belonging to the order Ericaceæ. Arbutus unedo, the Strawberry Tree, is a native of the south of Europe, found also in Asia and America, and in one locality in the British Isles, the Lakes of Killarney, where its fine foliage adds much to the charm of the scenery. In Britain, it is often planted as an ornamental evergreen. It grows to the height of 20 to 30 feet, but is rather a great bush than a tree. The bark is rugged; the leaves oblong-lanceolate, smooth, shining, serrate; the flowers nodding; corolla urn-shaped, greenish white; the fruit scarlet, somewhat resembling a strawberry, with a rapid sweetish taste. A wine is made from it in Southern Europe, which, however, is narcotic, as the fruit itself is when eaten freely. The bark and leaves are astringent. Arbutus Andrachne is also sometimes cultivated as an ornamental plant in Britain, but is impatient of severe frosts. Its fruit, and that of Arbutus integrifolia, are eaten in Greece and the East. But all the species seem to possess narcotic qualities, the fruit of Arbutus furens, a small shrub, a native of Chili, so much so as to cause delirium.—Arbutus aeculeata (Cape Horn) is an elegant evergreen, resembling the myrtle; and the Arbutus Menziesii, or madroña tree of Western North America, is a very interesting and beautiful species.