Strawberry Tree (Mutingia Calabura)

Description

The strawberry tree, also called Jamaican Cherry, gets its name from the flowers that look like a strawberry flower. The taste is more akin to cotton candy. Some say Captain Crunch Cereal. My friend John said it reminded him of a pastry.

It is not to be confused with the other strawberry tree, arbutus unedo, which I first encountered in Karen Cleveland’s garden in California and which then led me to this fruit which I planted inside of a hollowed out drum in the 9th Ward to keep away the wild chickens. I think I may have overfed that tree years ago. I did not then realize how forgiving of a specimen it was.

Mutingia is a perfect plant for families, for kids who want to munch all summer long. The white flowers are beloved by big black bees. It is not particular about soil. I used a post hole digger and popped a hold into the ground at a new build March of this year. You know the deal: eighteen inches of sand with clay underneath. Not a problem for the strawberry tree. She took off, reached for the sky, and rewarded us with hundreds, if not thousands, of berries.

I have spent some years searching for a way to grow this plant from seed and have found how just this year. That journey is free to you on my youtube channel. My hope is that this tree will be spread and shared throughout the community.

The Mutingia Calabura is best planted right after the last frost date of the year. March 1 is usually a good bet. Let yours get some size. Bring into a garage or inside by a window if we dip below freezing. Or you can buy keep it in a pot for its lifetime.

We have air layered trees which have already fruited in the pot and will continue to do so. The seedlings will produce their first summer.

A great find for our climate and our communities.