Photographs: County Cork

Chilean Myrtle Luma apiculata Family: Myrtaceae Flowering midsummer to autumn. Evergreen shrub. Garden escape. Introduced. Cup-shaped scented white flowers with 5 petals, single or in small groups. Spherical purple berries produced in autumn. Aromatic leathery, dark-green leaves in opposite pairs, evergreen. Peeling rusty-brown bark. Height to 10m+. Frost tender. Humus-rich, well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. Seeds freely, can naturalise in mild, frost-free areas. Recorded from West Cork. Identification confirmed by Paul Green

     
Chilean Myrtle. Glengarrif, County Cork. August 2008