Alternate name: Oregon Laurel, Laurelwood

Family: Ericaceae, Heath view all from this family

Description Handsome evergreen tree with tall, reddish-brown trunk and open, narrow, rounded or irregular crown of stout, smooth red branches.
Height: 20-80' (6-24 m).
Diameter: 2' (0.6 m).
Leaves: evergreen; 2-4 1/2" (5-11 cm) long, 1-3" (2.5-7.5 cm) wide. Elliptical, blunt at tip, not toothed or sometimes saw-toothed; thick and leathery; hairless except when young. Shiny dark green above, paler or whitish beneath; turning red before falling.
Bark: red, smooth, thin, and peeling off in thin, papery scales on branches; dark reddish-brown and divided into square plates on trunks.
Twigs: light red or green, turning reddish-brown; hairless.
Flowers: 1/4" (6 mm) long; jug-shaped or urn-shaped, white or pink-tinged corolla; short-stalked; in branched clusters 2-6" (5-15 cm) long and wide at twig ends; in early spring.
Fruit: 3/8-1/2" (10-12 mm) in diameter; berrylike, orange-red, finely warty; with mealy pulp, large stone, and many flattened seeds; maturing in autumn.

Habitat Upland slopes and canyons; in oak and coniferous forests, often in understory.

Range Pacific Coast from SW. British Columbia south to W. Oregon and in Coast Ranges to S. California; also Sierra Nevada of central California and Santa Cruz Island; to 5000' (1524 m); sometimes to 6000' (1829 m).

Discussion Pacific Madrone is one of the most beautiful broadleaf flowering evergreens, with its glossy foliage, large clusters of small white flowers, orange-red fruits, and very showy, reddish, peeling bark. It is the northernmost New World tree of its family, ranging to Canada. The wood can be used for weaving shuttles. California Indians ate the fruit raw and cooked; however, overeating causes cramps. Deer and birds also consume the fruit, and the flowers are a source of honey. The scientific name honors the discoverer, Archibald Menzies (1754-1842), a Scottish physician and naturalist.