Myrtus communis seed
LATIN NAME: Myrtus communis
COMMON NAME: Common Myrtle
Common myrtle is the fragrant, fine-leaved shrub of the Mediterranean, and it has been grown around the warm basin since the old civilisations. The small, glossy, aromatic leaves and the white, fluffy flowers with their many long stamens give the bush a soft, airy look through the early summer, and the blue-black berries follow through the autumn. The whole plant carries a sweet, resinous scent that fills the air around it on a warm day. It is a tough, easy shrub of the dry, sunny ground, and it takes well to the clipping and the shaping.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
The myrtle has a long paper trail in the botanical and the horticultural journals, mostly because of the aromatic oil carried in its leaves. The aromatic oil has been examined for its fresh, clean fragrance and its traditional uses, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the Mediterranean shrubs and their place in the dry-climate gardens. The dark berries have been studied for their colour and their compounds, and the shrub is a regular subject of the work on the warm-climate hedging and the topiary. Botanists have also traced its long history in the old gardens, so the story here is well backed by the records.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
The common myrtle is a shrub of many quiet uses. The leaves have long been added to the kitchen for their sweet, spicy scent, and the oil is used in the perfumery and the natural cleaning products. The berries have a traditional use in the warm-country kitchens, and the wood is hard, fine-grained and prized for the small turned and carved work. Around the garden it makes a dense, fragrant hedge or a fine clipped specimen, and it has been written up in the horticultural papers for its toughness and its fragrance. It is a generous, easy shrub of the warm, dry border.
The common myrtle has a very old history around the Mediterranean, and it was a plant of the wedding and the celebration in the old civilisations of the region. The sprigs were woven into the bridal crowns, and the fragrant leaves were used in the perfumes and the oils of the ancient world. The dense, glossy bush takes well to the clipping and the shaping, and it has been grown as the hedge and the topiary in the warm gardens for centuries. The dark berries ripen through the autumn and are a fine food for the birds. It is a plant with a deep, quiet history in the gardens of the warm world.
Myrtle is not hard from seed. Crush the ripe berries and wash the flesh off the small, hard seeds, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of gritty, free-draining soil. Give the pots a spell of cold and damp in the fridge for a few weeks, then bring them to a bright, warm spot and keep the soil lightly moist. The seedlings push through in good time, and they grow on into tough young shrubs that can be planted out in the sun. A warm, dry, sheltered spot suits them best.
The fresh, clear aroma of the oil of the plant is excellent at clearing the airways and is considered safe for young and old alike.A recent systematic review of herbal medicines has proven a positive effect for myrtle compounds in the treatment of rhinosinusitis (sinusitis)
In Greek mythology and ritual the myrtle was sacred to the goddesses Aphrodite and to love and fertility also Demeter-Artemidorus asserts that in interpreting dreams “a myrtle garland signifies the same as an olive garland, except that it is especially auspicious for farmers because of Demeter and for women because of Aphrodite. For the plant is sacred to both goddesses.” Roman gardens would often contain myrtle so it has a significant place in history. The sweet-scented white flowers bloom in summer and are followed by the black edible berries. It can also be grown indoors as a bonsai (max height indoors is 3 ft) and makes a good topiary plant – according to English folklore, myrtle will grow only if a woman plants it!
Myrtus communis/Common Myrtle