Rhodomyrtus tomentosa seed
LATIN NAME: Rhodomyrtus tomentosa
COMMON NAME: Downy Rosemyrtle
Downy rosemyrtle is the fine, white-flowered, berry-bearing shrub of the warm coasts of the east, and it has been grown for the handsome foliage, the pretty flowers and the sweet, edible berries for a very long time. The dense, rounded shrub carries the glossy, dark-green leaves with the fine, downy, brownish undersides, and the clusters of the small, white or pink, brush-like flowers open through the season, to be followed by the round, purple-black, sweet berries. The berries are eaten fresh or made into the jams. It is a generous, easy shrub of the warm, sunny garden.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Downy rosemyrtle has a steady and growing place in the plant science, and it has been studied for its sweet, purple-black berries and its place in the warm coastal planting. The round, edible berries, which have a long record of use in the region, have been looked into, and the plant keeps showing up in the work on the under-used berry shrubs of the warm world. The glossy, downy leaves and the brush-like flowers have also made it a favourite of the garden, and the shrub is a regular subject of the studies of the warm-climate berry and the ornamental shrubs.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Downy rosemyrtle is grown for the berries and the handsome shrub. The round, purple-black, sweet berries are eaten fresh or made into the jams, the jellies and the drinks, and they have a long record of use in the warm east. The dense, glossy shrub makes a fine hedge, screen or specimen for the warm garden, and the clusters of the white or pink, brush-like flowers pull in the bees and the birds. It has been written up in the horticultural and the food papers for its sweet berries and its handsome, easy ways, and it is a generous, easy shrub of the warm, sunny spot.
The downy rosemyrtle grows naturally along the warm, sandy coasts of the east, and the round, purple-black, sweet berries are a familiar of the local markets. The berries are eaten fresh by the handful, or made into the jams, the jellies and the fine, dark drinks. The dense, glossy shrub is a dependable, easy choice for the warm garden, and the downy, brownish undersides of the leaves give it a soft, handsome look in the light.
The downy rosemyrtle is a fine, easy shrub for the warm garden, and the round, purple-black berries are a generous crop through the late summer. The shrub is also a fine, dense hedge or screen, giving the garden a soft, glossy look.
To grow the downy rosemyrtle from seed, soak the small seeds in warm water for a day, then sow them at a shallow depth in pots of moist, free-draining soil, keep them in a bright, warm, sheltered spot and water gently. The seedlings come up within a few weeks and grow on steadily. A warm, sunny, sheltered spot with the well-drained soil will bring the brush-like flowers and the sweet, purple-black berries in a couple of seasons.
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa also known as Rose Myrtle is a flowering plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to southern and southeastern Asia, from India, east to southern China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the Philippines, and south to Malaysia and Sulawesi. It grows in coasts, natural forest, riparian zones, wetlands, moist and wet forests, bog margins, from sea level up to 2400 m elevation.
Rhodomyrtus tomentosa is an evergreen shrub growing up to 4 m-12 feet tall. The leaves are opposite, leathery, 5-7 cm long and 2-3.5 cm broad, three-veined from the base, oval, obtuse to sharp pointed at the tip, glossy green above, densely grey or rarely yellowish-hairy beneath, with a wide petiole and an entire margin. The flowers are solitary or in clusters of two or three, 2.5-3 cm diameter, with five petals which are tinged white outside with purplish-pink or all pink.
The fruit is edible, 10-15 mm long, purple, round, three or four-celled, capped with persistent calyx lobes, soft, with 40-45 seeds in a double row in each cell; seed dispersal is by frugivorous birds and mammals. Seed production and germination rates are high.