Arbutus unedo Mercurius ('Bocarm')

Synonyms

Arbutus unedo 'Bocarm'

A slow-growing, spreading, rounded, evergreen, shrub, with narrow, mid-green evergreen leaves which are flushed copper red and profusely serrated at their margins when young. Stems and branches are reddish orange at first, and as they age develop a deep reddish brown colour. Flowers are urn-shaped and white, sometimes pink tinged, appearing in panicles to 5cm long as the strawberry-like red fruits, from the previous years flowers, ripen. Whilst the fruits are edible and used to make jams and liqueurs in some countries, they are generally grown for ornamental purposes only in the UK