Madrone is a stunning tree overhanging coastlines from its perch on rocky cliffs. Look for its evergreen leaves, summer flowers and bright fall berries.

Along rock cliffs overlooking Puget Sound in Washington State, Madrone trees rise, seemingly from the sheer rock itself. Often bending and twisting, the trees are distinctive for their yellow-tinged trunks, peeling red bark and evergreen crowns.

Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) is a Pacific Northwest native growing along coastal zones, from British Columbia to Baja California. Because it likes dry sites, it does well in rocky outcrops and bluffs, where the ground drains quickly and sun is most plentiful.

Up close, these trees, also called Madrona, almost continually shed their bark, leaving it in curled ribbons that eventually fall. Trunks and branches bare of bark are silky smooth.

The thick shiny leaves drop, but not all at once, leaving the trees green all winter. In spring, they bloom in clusters of fragrant white flowers that attract bees and butterflies. Falls brings bright orange-red berries.

Birds flock to Madrone berries, and some birds, including western bluebirds, nest in tree cavities. Small animals reportedly eat the berries as well, and deer chew the twigs.

These trees thrive where others might wither. They can tolerate drought, the ocean’s salty spray, and poor soils.

But too much water and fertilizer, along with root disturbances, can be fatal to a Madrone tree. When tended in a yard, they have to be protected from lawn and garden watering and from damage by lawn mowers coming too close to their roots and from compacting of the soil around them.

Nursery growers say the tree is sought by gardeners, but is difficult to transplant. Paul Stormo at Champoeg Nursery in Aurora, Oregon which specializes in native plants, says Madrone can be propagated from seed, but is difficult to grow to a large size. The reason, he says, it that it doesn’t do well after transplanting. Large trees Stormo knows of on the market today are salvaged, or “wild harvested,” rather than nursery grown. He finds a consistent demand, but since nurseries don’t have a readily available supply of large Madrones, it’s not planted as frequently as it could be, he says. Champoeg grows them in gallon containers and sells several hundred each year. Keeping the plants in well drained soil is critical, says Stormo.

Madrone can be a stunning garden addition, but messy since it’s always shedding something: leaves, bark, flowers or fruits.

In their natural setting, trees grow to 50 feet or more and can live 200 years.

According to most sources, Madrone got its name from Spanish explorers who thought it resembled a tree from their home country called Madrono. The Latin Arbutus comes from a type of tree known since ancient times.

It takes the second part of its scientific name from Archibald Menzies, a naturalist and botanist who came to the Pacific Northwest as part of the exploratory team lead by Captain George Vancouver in the late 1700s. Many native plants found in the region bear Menzies’ name.

Madrone was used by many native peoples. Some steeped the root, bark and leaves to soothe colds; others boiled the bark for use in tanning; some used the wood to support dwelling structures and for tools.

Madrone is a member of the heath family, many of whose have evergreen leaves and bell-shaped flowers, like the Madrone. Other family members include huckleberry and wintergreen. Another member of the family, the shrub-sized Manzanita, resembles Madrone in its peeling red bark.

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Pacific Northwest Flowering Shrubs

Pacific Northwest Wildflowers

Identifying Northwest Conifers

Sources:

Familiar Friends: Northwest Plants, by Rhoda Whittlesey (Rose Press, Portland, Oregon)

Coastal Wildflowers of the Pacific Northwest, by Elizabeth Horn (Mountain Press, Missoula, Montana)

Trees of the Pacific Northwest, by George A. Petrides (Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, PA)

Wild Berries of the Pacific Northwest, by J.E. Underhill (Hancock House Publishers, B.C., Canada)

Washington Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Shorelines