Madrone (Arbutus menziesii)

Everything about this tree is beautiful – the lovely, smooth, orange-brown trunk, the generous oval leaves, the yellow-white bell flowers, and the copious berries, starting yellow-green and moving through orange to bright red in the fall.  In November, the berries change the color of the landscape, as patches of madrone give us a west-coast color show.

January

 

 

April

 

 

July

 

 

October

 

 

Leaves always present

Smooth brown trunk

 

White flowers

 

Red berries

Field ID Tips

·         Leaves 3 to 5” long, oval, slightly pointed.  Strong central vein obvious from above, and branching veins also obvious from below.

·         Leaves are evergreen, alternate, leathery, and often have some dark mold spots.

·         Ivory-colored flower in bunches of downward pointing bells..

·         Red berries.

 

Madrone-376 Seed Thumb - South Mt Tam - Jan 9 2012.jpg

 

Madrone Flower Flower Thumb - South Mt Tam - Feb 23 2012-2

 

<<<BETTER FLOWER THUMB>>>

 

<<<BERRY THUMBNAIL>>>

 

Similar Plants

Manzanita also has beautiful red bark, but the bark is redder, manzanita leaves are smaller, and manzanita generally looks more like a bush than a tree.

 

Links:

Cal Photos

Wikipedia

Jepson Manual

Mountain Home to West Point Trees

madrone Full Web - South Mt Tam - Jan 2012 - BHS

Madrone trees at double bow knot are easy to pick out with their distinctive trunk color.  Madrone’s open branching and leaves clustered at the end of branches lets lots of blue sky through.

 

madrone-2 Full Web - South Mt Tam - Jan 2012 - BHS

Madrone trunks are often a smooth orange-brown.  Manzanita trunks are also smooth, but their color is redder.

 

Madrone-Arbutus menziesii-Seattle

Madrone flowers

 

Madrone berries Full Web - South Mt Tam - Feb 23 2012-3

Madrone flowers turning to berries.

 

Madrone Berries Full Web - South Mt Tam - Feb 23 2012

Madrone berries start a pale yellow-green, and mature through orange to a deep red color.  Berries often dominate the tree in a brilliant November display.

 

 

Madrone-Arbutus menziesii-Nov 10 2012 Back of Mt Tam

Madrone berries can change the color of the forest,as in this picture north from Mt. Tam, towards Bon Tempe Resevoir.