Ugni molinae
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 Murtilla, Ugni molinae
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| Ugni molinae Turcz. |
Ugni molinae (syn. Myrtus ugni, Eugenia ugni) is an endemic shrub native to southern Chile. The Mapuche Native American name is Uñi, and Spanish names include Murta and Murtilla ("little myrtle"); it is also sometimes known as "Chilean guava" (it is related to the Guava, though not closely so).
It is a shrub growing to 1-2 m tall with evergreen foliage. The leaves are opposite, oval, 1-2 cm long and 1-1.5 cm broad, entire, glossy dark green, with a spicy scent if crushed. The flowers are drooping, 1 cm diameter with four or five white or pale pink petals and numerous short stamens; the fruit is a small red, white or purple berry 1 cm diameter with a strong strawberry flavour.
The fruit is cultivated to a small extent for the production of strawberry flavouring. It was introduced to England in 1844 by the botanist and plant collector William Lobb, where it became a favourite fruit of Queen Victoria. It is also grown as an ornamental plant.
The traditional drink Murtado is made of aguardiente flavoured by conserving murtas inside the bottle.
[edit] External links
- Chilean government project promoting its commercial use (in Spanish)
