Several decades ago in Spain we had a soft fruit, the same size as a
strawberry and also eaten with cream. It had a slightly gritty, very dark
red skin outside with a brilliant orangey yellow, squashy, inside.
Phonetically written, the name sounded like "madronyos". It was delicious
but I have never discovered the English name. I suspect it would not be
sold here as it probably would not travel. Anyone recognise it?

In message , Plum
writes
Several decades ago in Spain we had a soft fruit, the same size as a
strawberry and also eaten with cream. It had a slightly gritty, very
dark red skin outside with a brilliant orangey yellow, squashy, inside.
Phonetically written, the name sounded like "madronyos". It was
delicious but I have never discovered the English name. I suspect it
would not be sold here as it probably would not travel. Anyone
recognise it?

This is one the Madroña - Arbutus Menziesii - one of the strawberry
trees (indigenous to Mexico where it is much enjoyed. In Portugal they
make a kind of brandy from it which they call "medronho" - as they
would, being Portuguese. My daughter has an Arbutus of sorts in her
garden in Richmond (Surrey) which fruits quite profusely although I
don't know if she or her kids eat them.

I doubt if the fruit to which you were accustomed is sold here but I'd
ask the Spanish Embassy if there is a nation Spanish Food Centre in the
UK - and call them to ask if available.

HTH

--
Gopher .... I know my place!

Madroño in Spanish or medronho in Portuguese, referring to trees of the Arbutus genus. Often called Madrone in the USA because of the hispanic influence, but strawberry tree in Britain.

Arbutus unedo, the dominant species in the western mediterranean, fruits in Britain, though without the heat of Spain it may not have the eating quality of fruit there. Though its name "unedo" means "I eat one" because many people have decided not to eat a second fruit - its gritty and somewhat bland. Though I suspect some of the arbutus grown for the fruit in southern spain and portugal is actually Arbutus menziesii, the Pacific madrone.

I have the compacta garden variety of A unedo in my garden which in theory stays small, but fruits less abundantly, so I don't get a lot of fruit. But of what I have got, I have found "unedo" appropriate. I find Cornus kousa a much tastier unusual edible, showy red berries about the same size as arbutus berries.

The arbutus unedo you see in extensive forests in Sardinia for example are quite small and shrubby, about 3-4m tall, say. But they will grow much bigger than that in locations with a damp summer, as in the SW of Ireland where they have become naturalised and become massive. My compacta would be bigger than a Sardinian shrubby one by now if I didn't keep it heavily pruned.

As a garden tree, Arbutus x andrachnoides is a beauty. It flowers profusely and has a lovely bark. But it grows big and fast.

Thanks very much for all this. Now I know.

"Plum" wrote in message
om...
Several decades ago in Spain we had a soft fruit, the same size as a
strawberry and also eaten with cream. It had a slightly gritty, very dark
red skin outside with a brilliant orangey yellow, squashy, inside.
Phonetically written, the name sounded like "madronyos". It was delicious
but I have never discovered the English name. I suspect it would not be
sold here as it probably would not travel. Anyone recognise it?

"Chris Hogg" wrote in message
news
On Fri, 19 Feb 2010 05:43:20 -0500, echinosum
wrote:


I have the compacta garden variety of A unedo in my garden which in
theory stays small, but fruits less abundantly, so I don't get a lot of
fruit. But of what I have got, I have found "unedo" appropriate. I find
Cornus kousa a much tastier unusual edible, showy red berries about the
same size as arbutus berries.

I've read that A.unedo isn't self-fertile and solitary plants may not
fruit well. Many years ago (like 40), a Cornish nursery of repute
(Treseders) used to sell one they called A.u. hermaphroditus,
described as self-fertile.


Here in our small Wilts town an Arbutus unedo has been growing in the local
cemetery for decades. It is an unusual tree in that it has fruits and
flowers on it at the same time, and although it has a lot of fruits they
don't taste very interesting. Must be the climate.

someone

In article ,
someone wrote:

Here in our small Wilts town an Arbutus unedo has been growing in the local
cemetery for decades. It is an unusual tree in that it has fruits and
flowers on it at the same time, and although it has a lot of fruits they
don't taste very interesting. Must be the climate.

Perhaps. They have a reputation of being not very interesting, even
in better climates.

Having fruits and flowers at the same time is widespread in species
from warmer climates - it's common in tropical and subtropical ones,
like citrus.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.