× hybrida, or A. andrachne × unedo),[10] inheriting traits of both parent species, though fruits are not usually borne freely, and as a hybrid is unlikely to breed true from seed.

[12] The name unedo is attributed to Pliny the Elder, who allegedly claimed that "unum tantum edo", meaning "I eat only one".

[14] Arbutus unedo is widespread in the Mediterranean region: in Portugal, Spain and southeastern France; southward in Algeria, Morocco, Libya, and Tunisia, and eastward in Italy, Malta, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, Turkey, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

[15] A. unedo has been noted for its disjunct distribution, with isolated relict populations in southern and western Ireland in addition to its Mediterranean range.

It is commonly cited as an example of the Lusitanian flora, a small assemblage of plants native to Iberia and South-Western Ireland, but generally absent from Britain.

[16] The red-flowered variant, named A. unedo rubra by William Aiton in 1785, was discovered growing wild in Ireland in 1835.

[18] Arbutus unedo is naturally adapted to dry summer climates, and has become a very popular ornamental plant in California and the rest of the west coast of North America.

Inoculation with Pisolithus tinctorius has shown to greatly improve the plant's root mass, size, tolerance to drought and nutritional status.

[22][23] In cultivation in the UK, the form A. unedo f. rubra[24] and the cultivar 'Atlantic'[25] have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.

The seed should undergo a one-month cold stratification period,[27] then soaked for 5 to 6 days in warm water to improve germination success.

[28] Layering can take up to two years, but has a good success rate, while cutting is done with a 15–20 cm (6–8 in) long mature wood, preferably with a heel in November to December.

[34] Arbutus unedo's leaves have been employed in traditional and folk medicine in the form of a decoction said to have the following properties: astringent, diuretic, urinary anti-septic, antiseptic, intoxicant, rheumatism, tonic, and more recently, in the therapy of hypertension and diabetes.

Its Mediterranean habitat, elegant details of leaf and habit and dramatic show of fruit with flowers made Arbutus unedo notable in Classical Antiquity, when it was called Andrachne, and for which Theophrastos (4th c. BCE) wrote about it, as well as the ancient army medical herbalist Pedanios Dioscorides [De Materia Medica, Book II-150]; in addition, Pliny thought it should not be planted where bees are kept, for the bitterness it imparts to honey.

The tree is mentioned by Roman poet Ovid, in Book I: 89–112 "The Golden Age" of his Metamorphoses: "Contented with food that grew without cultivation, they collected mountain strawberries and the fruit of the strawberry tree, wild cherries, blackberries clinging to the tough brambles, and acorns fallen from Jupiter's spreading oak-tree.

[51] Pascoli's ode says: (in Italian) O verde albero italico, il tuo maggioè nella bruma: s'anche tutto muora,tu il giovanile gonfalon selvaggiospieghi alla bora Oh green Italian tree, your May monthis in the mist: if everything dies, you, the youthful wild bannerunfold to the northern windThe Garden of Earthly Delights, a painting by Hieronymus Bosch, was originally listed by José de Sigüenza, in the inventory of the Spanish Crown as La Pintura del Madroño – "The Painting of the Strawberry Tree".

In the center of the city (Puerta del Sol) there is a statue of a bear eating the fruit of the Madroño tree.