19
$\begingroup$

enter image description here enter image description here enter image description here

Just spotted this fruit while walking to school. It's the size of a small coin.The taste is almost sour and tangy and somewhat sweet (I only tried one of them and very little of it). I admit, I've never seen it before. Does anyone know what this is?

Update: Location is two or three blocks north of UC Berkeley (Berkley, CA, USA).

Improve this question
$\endgroup$
0

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
18
$\begingroup$

strawberry tree

It's probably Arbutus unedo, strawberry tree. Native to Mediterranean region and some part of western Ireland.

Edit: I've just spot that you found it in California, so it's probably one of north american Arbutus species, eg. Arbutus menziesii.

Improve this answer
$\endgroup$
4
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ Awesome! Thanks so much. Now I'll eat the rest of them without fearing dying. $\endgroup$
    – darksky
    Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 0:42
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ @darksky I've never eaten this kind of fruits so please don't blame me nor the SE community if they appear not edible. $\endgroup$
    – Marta Cz-C
    Commented Aug 29, 2012 at 16:10
  • 2
    $\begingroup$ Yes it is Arbutus Unedo. We have several in the garden. In Spain it is called a Madroño. The fruits are edible, but they don't taste that great. They are not very sweet and can have a mushy texture. Use them to make jams. $\endgroup$
    – Poshpaws
    Commented Sep 12, 2012 at 13:07
  • $\begingroup$ Definitely not Arbutus menziesii. Very different fruit. $\endgroup$
    – Maximilian Press
    Commented Oct 10 at 16:19

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .