Arbutus
American strawberry tree (Arbutus menziesii)
The arbutus (Arbutus ) are a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ). It includes eleven species and is found mainly in Central America and the Mediterranean.
Description
Strawberry trees are evergreen trees or shrubs with smooth, peeling, usually reddish brown to gray bark Pied. The simple ganzrandigen or serrate, the upper side glossy, leathery leaves are stalked and angeordnetet alternate.
The most fivefold, white to red flowers form terminal racemes. The crown is jug -shaped, the Corolla lobe short. The stamens are swollen at the base, the anthers at the top have an excrescence, the pollen tetrads form. The scar is slightly lobed, the ovary are papillose, the carpels have two or more ovules. As warty fruit, mealy, mehrsamige berries are formed. The seeds contain a spatulate embryo.
The basic chromosome number is x = 13
Dissemination
The genus is found from the west coast of North America via Central America to Nicaragua, as well as in the Mediterranean region in areas with season climate. In Central America altitudes up to 3100 meters are reached. No species is hardy in Central Europe.
System
The genus Arbutus is considered paraphyletic, it breaks down into two clades along their geographical distribution, ie the one in a New World, on the other hand Old World clade.
The genus includes eleven species:
Old World species:
- Western Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.)
- Eastern Strawberry Tree (Arbutus andrachne L.)
- Canary strawberry tree (Arbutus canariensis Duham. ), Endemic to the Canary Islands
- Arbutus pavarii Pamp. , An endemic Cyrenaica (Libya)
- Arbutus × andrachnoides Link (Arbutus andrachne × Arbutus unedo )
- Arbutus × androsterilis M.Salas Pascual, JRAcebes Ginovés & M.del Arco Aguilar (Arbutus canariensis × Arbutus unedo )
New World species:
- Arbutus arizonica ( A. Gray ) Sarg.
- Arbutus madrensis M.S.González - Elizondo
- American strawberry tree (Arbutus menziesii Pursh )
- Arbutus occidentalis McVaugh & Rosatti
- Arbutus peninsularis Rose & Goldman
- Arbutus tessellata P.D.Sørensen
- Arbutus xalapensis Kunth (syn. A. texana Buckley. )