2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29
The strawberry tree / Arbutus unedo /, also called only arbutus, is an evergreen low-growing shrub that acquires the shape of a tree over the years.
It reaches a height of 4-6 meters. The strawberry tree blooms and bears fruit from October to March. Flowers and fruits appear simultaneously in late autumn.
The leaves of strawberry tree are dark and shiny. Its bright orange fruits with a size of 2-3 cm are a real attraction because they look like strawberries and hence its name.
Before ripening, the fruits have a green color, and after ripening they acquire a beautiful red color. Under the outer shell there is a fleshy part, which is full of seeds.
The strawberry tree is an easy to grow plant that grows best in nutrient-rich and draining soils, but tolerates heavy clay soils well. Strawberry tree is found naturally in southern Switzerland, Ireland, Crimea, Asia Minor, the Mediterranean.
On the territory of our country it is found in the Strandzha mountain and gives a unique charm to nature. It grows best in bright sunlight.
A very interesting variety of strawberry tree is the red mirika or Chinese strawberry tree. It is very common in China, but is also found in Japan, Taiwan, Korea and the Philippines. Its fruits are usually red, but can be purple or white. Their shell is hard and the inside is very sweet.
Growing strawberry tree
In our country there are still no established traditions in the cultivation of strawberry tree, but more and more people are starting to grow it. The strawberry tree is quite hardened and can withstand temperatures down to at least -16 degrees.
Young plants can not withstand low temperatures, so the first few winters should be grown in greenhouses. The best way to propagate a strawberry tree is from seed. The seeds are sown on the surface of compost in a greenhouse in late winter.
The compost must be kept constantly moist, it should not dry out. The seeds usually germinate in mid or late spring.
Transplanting into individual pots is done after strawberry tree is large enough to cope and grow in the shade and light of a greenhouse, at least in its first winter. It is pruned minimally to maintain the crown.
Composition of strawberry tree
The fruits of the strawberry tree contain about 20% sugars, and in all parts of the plant there is ethyl gallate and tannin, which reaches 45% in the bark.
Strawberry tree in cooking
The fruits of strawberry tree are edible with a very pleasant red color. The beautiful red color appears when they ripen and from a distance it seems that the tree is full of strawberries. Although the fruits look like strawberries, they taste very different. They have a pleasant and delicate aroma.
They can be canned or used to make delicious jams. The fruits of the strawberry tree should not be eaten raw because they have an unpleasant taste that you will not like.
The fruits of the red mirika strawberry tree are eaten fresh because their insides are sweet. They can be dried and also used to make jams and preserves.
Benefits of strawberry tree
In addition to decorative properties and fruits used in the food industry, strawberry tree there are also health benefits for the body. It has good antibacterial properties due to ethyl gallate. Antibacterial properties are most pronounced against mycobacteria.
It has a good effect on coughs and sore throats, is used to treat dysentery and diarrhea, in diseases of the urinary system such as urethritis and cystitis. The leaves and roots of the strawberry tree have a good astringent and diuretic effect.
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