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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. North American members of the genus are called Madrones, from the Spanish name madroño. The European species are called Strawberry Trees from the superficial resemblance of the fruit to a strawberry; some species are sometimes referred to simply as the "Arbutus". Curiously, the name "Madrone" is used south of the Siskiyou Mountains of southern Oregon/northern California and the name "Madrona" is used north of the Siskiyou Mountains according to the "Sunset Western Garden Book". In British Columbia, the name "Arbutus" is commonly used.[On British Columbia see Jim Pojar and Andy MacKinnon, eds, Plants of Coastal British Columbia (Vancouver: Lone Pine Publishing, 1994), 49 and Daniel Francis, ed., The Encyclopedia of British Columbia (Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 2000), 20.] All refer to the same tree, Arbutus menziesii, native to the Pacific Northwest and Northern California regions.
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Maryland, USA
