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Just spotted this fruit while walking to school. It's the size of a small coin.The taste is almost sour and tangy and somewhat sweet (I only tried one of them and very little of it). I admit, I've never seen it before. Does anyone know what this is?

Update: Location is two or three blocks north of UC Berkeley (Berkley, CA, USA).

RHA
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darksky
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1 Answers1

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strawberry tree

It's probably Arbutus unedo, strawberry tree. Native to Mediterranean region and some part of western Ireland.

Edit: I've just spot that you found it in California, so it's probably one of north american Arbutus species, eg. Arbutus menziesii.

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Marta Cz-C
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    Awesome! Thanks so much. Now I'll eat the rest of them without fearing dying. – darksky Aug 29 '12 at 00:42
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    @darksky I've never eaten this kind of fruits so please don't blame me nor the SE community if they appear not edible. – Marta Cz-C Aug 29 '12 at 16:10
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    Yes it is Arbutus Unedo. We have several in the garden. In Spain it is called a Madroño. The fruits are edible, but they don't taste that great. They are not very sweet and can have a mushy texture. Use them to make jams. – Poshpaws Sep 12 '12 at 13:07