Strawberry Tree

Has dark green leaves and beige coloured bottle like flowers, its fruit resembles strawberries and ripen from green to yellow to vivid red. It is a member of the Heather family (ericaceae). This plant can live for up to a thousand years where older stems are replaced with new growth from its flattened woody base, which is called a Lignotuber. The Strawberry tree is native to Mediterranean countries and also some milder Atlantic coasts such as western Ireland although it has been decimated in these areas where it was used to make charcoal for iron smelting. It is fortunately still quite common on Corfu.
The fruit is edible with a delicate flavour and is used in liquors and jam making. The Two Tailed Pasha butterfly uses the Strawberry tree as a host for its eggs and caterpillars.