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Native Plant Propagation Guidelines:
trees

Arbutus menziesii (arbutus)

Category: 
trees

Arbutus menziesii

Broadleaf tree, 6-30 cm tall, often with many stems from the base and more shrublike; young bark chartreuse and smooth, aging to deep brownish-red and peeling off. Leaves alternate, evergreen, leathery, egg-shaped to elliptic, glabrous, entire on mature older growth, fine-toothed on young shoots, 5-15 cm long, dark shiny green above and whitish-green below. Flowers in large drooping terminal clusters; corollas white or pinkish, urn-shaped, 6-8 mm long, fragrant. Fruits: berries, globe-shaped, orange to red, about 1 cm across; surface finely granular (Douglas et al., 1999). Photo by Dave Polster.

Scientific Name: 

Arbutus menziesii Pursh

Family: 
Ericaceae
English Name: 
arbutus
Other Names: 
madrone, Pacific madrone

Geographical Range and Habitat Requirements

Ecological Setting: 

Dry open forests and rocky slopes on coarse or shallow soils in the lowland and montane zones (Douglas et al., 1999). Dry foothills, wooded slopes and sunny, rocky sites in the south. In the north, on hot, dry, lowland sites and generally in areas with mild oceanic winters. Elevation: sea level to 1800m (Rose et al., 1998).

Soil Texture: 

Rocky, fine-textured soils with low moisture content in summer (Rose et al., 1998). Coarse-textured soils (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Nutrients: 
n/a
Soil Reaction and Salinity: 
n/a
Moisture Regime: 

Low moisture content in summer (Rose et al., 1998). Very dry to moderately-dry soils. Characteristic of moisture-deficient sites (Klinka et al., 1989).

Shade Tolerance: 

Moderately shade-tolerant (Rose et al., 1998).

Successional Status: 

Occasional in pure or mixed-seral stands (usually with Garry oak or Douglas-fir) on strongly drained sites (Klinka et al., 1989).

BEC Zone and GOE Community Status: 

Typically associated with Garry oak and Douglas-fir (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Uses

Site Rehabilitation: 

Useful for erosion control on disturbed sites.

Wildlife: 

Eaten by many types of wildlife; the tree is used by both open-nesting and cavity-nesting birds (Rose et al., 1998).

Landscaping: 

Highly ornamental species prized for its crooked beauty, colourful bark, showy flowers and brightly-coloured fruit. Good for coarsely drained, sunny, open sites. Underplant with kinnikinnick, Henderson’s shootingstars (B. Costanzo, personal communication).

First Nations: 

Saanich used arbutus bark and leaves for colds, stomach problems, post-childbirth contraceptive, and a ten-ingredient bark medicine for tuberculosis and spitting up blood. Straits Salish sometimes cooked reddish, papery bark with camas bulbs to colour them pink (Pojar and MacKinnon, 1994).

Other Uses: 

Wood is highly decorative but hard to cure properly.

Seed Propagation

Flowering Time: 

April - May

Fruit Ripening Time: 

September - October

Seed Collection Time: 

October - December (Banerjee et al., 2001)

Crop Intervals: 

Annual

Number of Seeds per Kilogram: 

434,300-705,470

Seed Viability: 
n/a
Fruit and Seed Collection and Extraction: 

Dry fruits or macerate and float off pulp (Rose et al., 1998).

Seed Storage: 

Dried seed or berries can be stored at room temperature for one to two years; at 1-4oC for longer periods (Rose et al., 1998). Air dry at 16-20oC and rehydrate to separate seeds (Banerjee et al., 2001).

Fruit/Seed Dormancy and Treatment: 

Moist stratify at 0.5-4oC for 30-90 days or stratify naturally outdoors over winter. Use sand-peat medium and transplant to individual containers when large enough to handle (Rose et al., 1999).

Vegetative Propagation

Method Success Rate Time of Collection
Softwood cuttings n/a n/a
Semi-hardwood cuttings n/a n/a
Hardwood cuttings n/a n/a
Root cuttings n/a n/a
Suckers Layering n/a
Plant division n/a n/a

 

Outplanting Characteristics and Requirements

Grows very slowly, average height of two-year seedling is 2.5 cm (Rose et al., 1998). Does not like to be disturbed, so transplant seedlings before third year. Can sow seeds/berries directly into site prepared with peat/compost (B. Costanzo, personal communication).

Seed and Cutting Propagation Techniques

n/a

Additional Information and Photos

For more information and pictures, visit the E-Flora BC website at www.eflora.bc.ca.