Arbutus

Leaves

Form

• Evergreen
• Alternate, simple
• Oval, thick, leathery
• Principal veins branched
• Pinnately arranged along a thick pale midvein
• 20–30 veins per side
• No stipules
• Lower surface hairless
• Shed during second growing season

Length

• 7–12 cm

Colour

• Upper surface dark glossy green
• Lower surface paler
• Older leaves turn reddish

Margin

• Usually smooth
• May be finely toothed on young plants and vigorous shoots

Buds

Form

• Terminal bud present, pointed
• Many overlapping scales
• Lower scales ridged
• Lateral buds much smaller than terminal bud
• Leaf scars with 1 vein scar

Length

• Terminal bud 8 mm

Colour

• Green

Twigs

Form

• Stout, hairless
• Pith round, thick, uniform

Colour

• Pale green in spring becoming reddish-brown

Flowers

Form

• Urn-shaped, with a strong honey odour
• In drooping, branched terminal clusters (panicles)

Length

• About 1 cm

Colour

• White

Structure

• Synoecious

Floral timing

• With the new leaves

Fruits

Form

• Berry-like
• Surface granular
• Many seeded
• In clusters
• Dispersed by birds

Width

• Less than 1 cm

Colour

• Orange-red

Structure

• Capsule

Bark

Form

• Thin, smooth
• Peeling in papery flakes and strips
• Thicker with age, broken into many small flakes

Colour

• Reddish-brown
• Newly exposed surfaces yellowish-green soon becoming reddish-brown

Wood

Texture

• Heavy, hard
• Warps and checks on drying

Colour

• Reddish-brown

Morphology

• Diffuse-porous, close-grained

Size

Height

• To 20 m

Diameter

• To 60 cm

Maximum age

• 200 years

Tree form

Forest-grown

Trunk

• Leaning, crooked

Crown

• Irregular

Habitat

Site

• Rocky shores, forest edges, and as an understory tree
• Often invades newly cleared land

Light tolerance

• Intolerant of shade

Range

Restricted to a narrow belt along the Pacific coast