Arbutus andrachne

Life-forms

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Ericales

Familia: Ericaceae
Subfamilia: Arbutoideae
Genus: Arbutus
Species: Arbutus andrachne
Name

Arbutus andrachne L., Syst. Nat., ed. 10. 2: 1024. 1759.

Type locality: “Habitat in Oriente.”
Neotype, designated by Turland & Cafferty, Taxon 51(4): 753. 2003): [Greece], Fl. Graeca Exsiccata, “in monte Pentelico Atticae”, April, Orphanides 78 (BM).

Synonyms

Heterotypic
Arbutus serratifolia Lodd., Bot. Cab.: tab. 580. 1824, nom. illeg., non Salisb. (1796).
Arbutus idaea Gand., Fl. Cret.: 70. 1916.
Arbutus integrifolia Lam., Encycl. 1: 227. 1783.
Arbutus lucida Steud., Nomencl. Bot., ed. 2, 1: 119. 1840.
Arbutus sieberi Klotzsch, Linnaea 24: 71. 1851.
Arbutus milleri Sweet, Hort. Brit. ed. 2: 331. 1830.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental: Europe
Regional: Southeastern Europe
Albania, Bulgaria, Greece, Kriti, Turkey-in-Europe, Yugoslavia (Croatia, Macedonia)
Regional: Eastern Europe
Krym.
Continental: Asia-Temperate
Regional: Caucasus
Transcaucasus (Azerbaijan, Gruziya)
Regional: Western Asia
Cyprus, East Aegean Islands, Iraq, Lebanon-Syria (Lebanon, Syria), Palestine (Israel, Jordan), Turkey.

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Linnaeus, C. 1759. Systema Naturae per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis, Tomus II. Editio decima, reformata. Holmiæ: impensis direct. Laurentii Salvii. i–iv+825–1384 pp DOI: 10.5962/bhl.title.542: 1024. Reference page.
Linnaeus, C. 1762. Species Plantarum, ed. 2, Tomus I: 566. Reference page.

Additional references

Cafferty, S. & Jarvis, C.E. (eds.) 2003 ("2002"). Typification of Linnaean Plant Names in Ericaceae. Taxon 51(4): 751–753. DOI: 10.2307/1555030 Paywall. JSTOR Paywall. Reference page.

Links

Hassler, M. 2019. Arbutus andrachne. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2019. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Dec 13. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2019. Arbutus andrachne in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Dec 13. Reference page.
Euro+Med 2006 onwards: Arbutus andrachne in Euro+Med PlantBase – the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity. Published online. Accessed: 2019 Dec 13.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Arbutus andrachne in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service.

Vernacular names
العربية: قطلب
Deutsch: Östlicher Erdbeerbaum
English: Cyprus Strawberry-tree
Esperanto: Orienta arbuto
español: Madroño Oriental
suomi: Idänmansikkapuu
français: Arbousier de Chypre
עברית: קטלב מצוי
magyar: Görög szamócafa
македонски: Гол човек
русский: Земляничник мелкоплодный
Türkçe: Sandal Ağacı

Arbutus andrachne, commonly called the Greek strawberry tree, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and the Middle East.

The etymology of the species name corresponds to the Ancient Greek word ἀνδράχνη (andrákhnē), meaning "wild strawberry",[3][4] and refers to the common name of the tree and to its fruits.

Description

Arbutus andrachne can reach a height of about 12 metres. The smooth bark is exfoliating during the summer, leaving a layer with a pistachio green colour, which changes gradually to a beautiful orange brown. The flowers bloom in spring and are white or yellowish green. Its fruits ripen in autumn, and when left to dry in a cool place, are eaten as sweet, chewy candy.

According to a research study done by Alzoubi, the A. andrachne fruit's antioxidants contain a variety of chemicals that have a defensive effect against memory impairment where the antioxidants normalize the long- and short-term memory impairment caused from sleep deprivation.[5][6]
Horticulture
Hybrids

Arbutus x andrachnoides Link, 1821 is a hybrid between A. andrachne and A. unedo.[7][8]
Arbutus x thuretiana Demoly, nothosp. nov. is a hybrid between A. andrachne and A. canariensis.[7] Named after Gustave Thuret, it is naturalised at Jardin botanique de la Villa Thuret.[9] A. x thuretiana is renowned for its perfectly smooth, reddish-brown bark, exfoliating in the spring to show a new, surprisingly pistachio-green bark, which gradually darkens and turns reddish again.[7]

Garden history

Arbutus andrachne was reported by Peter Collinson as having flowered first in England in Dr John Fothergill's extensive botanical garden and greenhouses at Upton House, Essex (now West Ham Park), in 1765.[10]
In literature

"On leaving Bursa ... There was on the road a small tree bearing a fruit somewhat bigger than our largest cherries, and of the shape and taste of strawberries, but a little acid. It is pleasant to eat; but, if a great quantity be eaten, it mounts to the head, and intoxicates. It is ripe in November and December." Editor's footnote: "From the description, it seems to be the arbutus Andrachne."[11] The tree appears to exist in Dibbeen Forest Reserve in Jordan with its distinctive reddish bark that appears more red during and immediately after rain. Locals confirm that the fruits have narcotic-like effect.[citation needed] The fruits are reddish and sweet but taste more like figs.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arbutus andrachne.

Species was first described and published in Systema Naturae, ed. 10. 2: 1024. 1759. "Plant Name Details for Arbutus andrachne". IPNI. Retrieved August 5, 2010. "in monte Pentelico Atticae"
"The Plant List: A Working List of All Plant Species". Retrieved 9 December 2014.
Bailly, Anatole (1981-01-01). Abrégé du dictionnaire grec français. Paris: Hachette. ISBN 978-2010035289. OCLC 461974285.
Bailly, Anatole. "Greek-french dictionary online". www.tabularium.be. Retrieved March 24, 2020.
Alzoubi, Karem H.; Malkawi, Bayan S.; Khabour, Omar F.; El-Elimat, Tamam; Alali, Feras Q. (2017-01-18). "Arbutus andrachne L. Reverses Sleep Deprivation-Induced Memory Impairments in Rats". Molecular Neurobiology. 55 (2): 1150–1156. doi:10.1007/s12035-017-0387-8. PMID 28101814. S2CID 3425930.
Bertsouklis, Konstantinos F.; Daskalakis, Ioannis; Biniari, Katerina; Papafotiou, Maria (2021-02-15). "Comparative study of polyphenolic content and antioxidant capacity in fruits of Arbutus unedo, A. andrachne and their natural hybrid A.× andrachnoides". Notulae Botanicae Horti Agrobotanici Cluj-Napoca. 49 (1): 12165–12165. doi:10.15835/nbha49112165. ISSN 1842-4309.
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 Fotios; Papafotiou, Maria (2016-12-14). "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. ISSN 1842-4309.
Ducatillon, Catherine; Bellanger, Richard; Charron, Tristan; Chevallier, Joelle; Heinz, Christine; Marchal, Cecilia; Mellerin, Yannick; Caraglio, Yves; Ameglio, Thierry (2018), "Study of the adaptability of trees to drought:phenological monitoring of assisted growth sensors, in the Botanical Garden of Villa Thuret", Proceedings of the EuroGard VII Congress, EUROGARD, vol. VII, pp. 322–331, retrieved 2020-03-23
Ann Leighton, American Gardens in the Eighteenth Century: 'For Use or Delight' , 1976:395; Leighton misidentifies it with Arbutus unedo; Georg Dionysius Ehret, "A description of the Andrachne" Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society 57 (1767)
Thomas Wright, ed. (1848). "The travels of Bertrandon de la Brocquière". Early Travels in Palestine, comprising the narratives of Arculf, Willibald, Bernard, Saewulf, Sigurd, Benjamin of Tudela, de la Brocquière, Sir John Maundeville and Maundrel. p. 333.