MYRTUS luma (=Luma apiculata)

Beautiful, vigorous species of the Myrtus genus, perennial and evergreen, with slow growth and both bushy and arboreal posture, dense and regular, native to South America: at full development it can sometimes grow more than 6 m tall while its width can also be greater. Lignified and well branched from the base, it has numerous stems with reddish bark and with a markedly spread outwards trend that make the plant take on a compact and rounded shape: the bark in the oldest specimens tends to flake off presenting characteristic alternating brown and greyish. Leaves, leathery, shiny and glabrous, lanceolate with acute apex and smooth edges, dark green, intensely perfumed when wrinkled, are arranged opposite to rather short internodes. In summer, the plant becomes covered with small white 5-petalled flowers with a showy tuft of stamens in the center, slightly fragrant and particularly sought after by bees and insects in general: these are followed in autumn, and are maintained throughout the winter, by minute spherical and bluish fruits, really decorative and precious food for birds and animals of different types.

It prefers sunny or only partially shaded locations and likes poor, dry and above all permeable and well-drained soils. It tolerates long periods of drought and withstands the saltiness typical of the sea winds of coastal locations. It tolerates minimum winter temperatures a few degrees below zero, therefore in regions where winters are characterized by more intense and prolonged cold possibly associated with high levels of atmospheric humidity, it is advisable to guarantee it a protected position or shelter in a cool and bright environment. In autumn or spring, depending on the latitude, it is possible to intervene by eliminating dry, old, broken or damaged stems and on occasion, shortening the various branches in order to stimulate a thicker development of the plant at the vegetative restart and also guarantee a more generous flowering and, consequently, richer fruiting. It is possible to cultivate it on terraces and balconies, guaranteeing it large containers and excellent drainage; in the open ground, a single plant can furnish any corner or flowerbed of our garden in a simple and refined way: remember its use alone, or with other Mediterranean essences with contrasting foliage, arranged in sequence to create high and impenetrable evergreen and dazzling barriers all year long.