Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Pacific Madrone

Photo credit: Wikipedia/Walter Siegmundsome rights reserved.
Arbutus menziesii, or the Pacific Madrone, is a striking, large tree, native in Oregon along the Coast Range and in the Willamette Valley.  The thick, dark green leaves - similar to those of a Southern Magnolia - and the orange-red, peeling bark really make for a beautiful tree.  If you happen to have one in your yard or somewhere you can frequently enjoy it, count yourself lucky.  I hear they're notoriously hard to transplant and care for.

The Madrone has small, white flowers which give way to red-orange berries, loved by many types of birds, including Cedar Waxwings.  (I once saw Cedar Waxwings enjoying the berries on Elk Rock Island.)



Peeling bark of the Pacific Madrone.  Photo credit: Wikipedia/NaJina McEnany, some rights reserved


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