Arbutus × andrachnoides, the hybrid strawberry-tree, is the result of a cross between Arbutus andrachne (eastern strawberry-tree) and Arbutus unedo (Irish strawberry tree). It is a naturally occurring hybrid, but hybrid cultivars have also been created. It has gained the RHS's Award of Garden Merit.[1]
Young specimens of A. × andrachnoides possess the dark bark of A. unedo, but older trees have exfoliations revealing an orangish bark.[2]
The first parental species, A. andrachne, also hybridized with A. canariensis to yield another hybrid, Arbutus × thuretiana Demoly, nothosp. nov..[2]
It is impossible to distinguish Arbutus × andrachnoides individuals from the parent species using traditional botanical methods since they display a complete spectrum of parental traits. DNA testing and statistical methods centered on characterizing the intermediacy of the individual must be used instead.[3]