Arbutus

Arbutus is a genus of at least 14 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae, native to warm temperate regions of the Mediterranean, western Europe, and North America. The name is borrowed from Latin, where it referred to A. unedo.

Description

Arbutus are small trees or shrubs with red flaking bark and edible red berries. Fruit development is delayed for about five months after pollination, so that flowers appear while the previous year's fruit are ripening.

Common names

Members of the genus are called madrones or madronas in the United States, from the Spanish name madroño (strawberry tree). In Canada--in British Columbia, where the species is common--arbutus is commonly used or, rarely and locally, "tick tree." All refer to the same tree, Arbutus menziesii, native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions. It is Canada's only native broadleaved evergreen tree. Some species in the genera Epigaea, Arctostaphylos and Gaultheria were formerly classified in Arbutus. As a result of its past classification, Epigaea repens (mayflower) has an alternative common name of "trailing arbutus".

Arbutus (disambiguation)

Arbutus may refer to:

Arbutus, Maryland

Arbutus is an unincorporated community and a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. The population was 20,483 at the 2010 census. The census area also contains the communities of Halethorpe and Relay, in which all three names were used during the 1960 census when the area had a population of 22,402. Residents of Arbutus are often called Arbutians.

The Thomas Viaduct railroad bridge over the Patapsco River was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.

Geography

Arbutus is located at 39°14′40″N 76°41′38″W / 39.24444°N 76.69389°W / 39.24444; -76.69389 (39.244406, -76.693928).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 6.5 square miles (17 km²), all of it land.

Herbert Run, a stream, runs through Arbutus and surrounding areas.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Arbutus had a population of 20,483. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 76.6% non-Hispanic white, 9.5% non-Hispanic black, 0.2% Native American, 2.1% Asian Indian, 6.5% other Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.2% non-Hispanic from some other race, 2.3% from two or more races and 2.9% Hispanic or Latino of any race.