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 | |
|---|---|
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| 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 | |
| Synonyms | |
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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 x andrachnoides
 
Leaves
Bark
References
    
- 1821. Enumeratio Plantarum Horti Regii Berolinensis Altera. Berolini [Berlin] 1: 395.
 - "Arbutus × andrachnoides". RHS. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
 - Filippi, Olivier (2007). Pour un jardin sans arrosage (For a garden without irrigation) (in French). Arles: Actes Sud. p. 80. ISBN 978-2-7427-6730-4.
 - Bertsouklis, Konstantinos F.; Papafotiou, Maria (14 December 2016). "Morphometric and Molecular Analysis of the Three Arbutus Species of Greece". Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca. 44 (2): 423–430. doi:10.15835/nbha44210572. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
 
