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Monday 25 October 2010

Koumaria or Strawberry Tree

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Arbutus unedo, the Strawberry Tree, is an evergreen shrub or small tree in the family Ericaceae, native to the Mediterranean region and western Europe north to western France and Ireland. Due to its presence in South West Ireland, it is also known as Irish strawberry tree, and Killarney strawberry tree.


Very beloved plant in Samos, some areas and even a Village are named from this wonderfull pland called in Greek : KOUMARIA

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Arbutus unedo, the Strawberry Tree, grows to 5-10 m tall, rarely up to 15 m, with a trunk diameter of up to 80 cm. Zone: 7-10
The leaves are dark green and glossy, 5-10 cm long and 2-3 cm broad, with a serrated margin.
The hermaphrodite flowers are white (rarely pale pink), bell-shaped, 4-6 mm diameter, produced panicles of 10-30 together in autumn. They are pollinated by bees.
The fruit is a red berry, 1-2 cm diameter, with a rough surface, maturing 12 months at the same time as the next flowering. The fruit is edible, though many people find it bland and mealy; the name 'unedo' is explained by Pliny the Elder as being derived from unum edo "I eat one",[1] which may seem an apt response to the flavour. They mainly serve as food for birds but in some countries they are used to make jam and liqueurs (such as the Portuguese medronho, a kind of strong brandy).

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Infos are from Wikipedia

12 comments:

  1. Καμιά "κμαρένια" βρήκες φίλε μου από κάτω;;;
    Εγώ βρήκα στο Λελούδα :)))
    Ωραία τα Βερολινέζικα φθινοπωρινά χρώματα, αλλά τα Σαμιώτικά σου άπαιχτα!!!
    Καλημέρα

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  2. The fruit looks plentiful - I'm sure it could be livened up with something. Liqueur sound like a good example!

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  3. Je ne connais pas trop ces fruits, mais cette image est excessivement jolie !

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  4. How beautiful, Benikos! I've never seen one of those before and they are so colorful! Marvelous captures as always! Have a wonderful week!

    Sylvia

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  5. Strange, beautiful and something I have never seen before. Original choice.

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  6. What a beautiful and colorful tre, Great shots. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. Wow, amazing! Honestly, Ive never seen like this before. I love it...

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  8. Beautiful shot of a wonderful plant. We can buy this plant even here in Sweden. They are also used to make the best tsipouro.

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  9. Beautiful My World posting

    Have a nice week,
    Greetings, Bram

    My Word Tuesday post

    Seen on My World Tuesday

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  10. Very beautiful in a strange way:)/Maria

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  11. How colorful are these exotic fruits! Thanks for sharing. Great shot!

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  12. The fruits are lovely, and such an interesting shape! I like the shot of the tree from a distance - so colourful!

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