How to Identify Arbutus

Arbutus (Epigaea repens), also called trailing arbutus, is a member of the heath family. Trailing arbutus is a difficult wildflower to find, transplant and grow, according to the University of Connecticut Plant Database. This species is sensitive to significant changes in its environment, notes the "National Audubon Society Field Guide to Wildflowers: Eastern Region," which accounts for how scarce it is in the wild. Useful for planting in damp areas in the shade of a woodland garden, arbutus features characteristics that make it suitable as a ground cover species.

Instructions

- 1
  Consider where you find the arbutus when attempting to identify it. Growing throughout most of the forests in the eastern part of North America, arbutus grows in exposed areas where abundant leaf litter does not prevent its development.
- 2
  Look for an evergreen plant growing between 4 and 6 inches high, with widths up to 24 inches. Arbutus is a low-to-the-ground shrub that forms thick vegetative mats.
- 3
  Inspect the foliage of the arbutus, looking for a leaf with a hairy surface and a thick, leather-like texture. The arbutus leaves are dark green year-round, with an oval to oblong shape. They are up to 3 inches in length and grow alternately on the stems. The leaves have rounded edges and minute, soft hairs on both the upper and lower surfaces.
- 4
  Observe the flowers that emerge on the arbutus as early as April or as late as May. The flowers are shades of pink-white and small, but they are extremely aromatic. Arbutus flowers feature five lobes and they are up to 1/2 inch wide.
- 5
  Study the white fruits that the flowers of the arbutus generate. The fruit resembles a berry, growing up to 1/2 inch in diameter. The fruit matures by autumn and its insides are pulpy and white.

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