Common myrtle

Description

Myrtus communis, the common myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is an evergreen shrub native to southern Europe, north Africa, western Asia, Macaronesia, and the Indian Subcontinent, and also cultivated. It is one of the four species used by Jews in their religious rituals on the festival of Sukkot. The plant is an evergreen shrub or small tree, growing to 5 metres (16 ft) tall. The leaves are 2–5 centimetres (0.79–1.97 in) long, with a fragrant essential oil. The flowers are white or tinged with pink, with five petals and many stamens that protrude from the flower. The fruit is a berry, blue-black when ripe. This species, and the more compact M. communis subsp. tarentina have won the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.