common myrtle

Photo: LIGURIAN VASCULAR FLORA — CC BY 2.0 · source

Survives zone 8 through 9

Harvest calendar

Best planted in early spring after your last frost, or in fall before the ground freezes, depending on your climate.

Small blue-black berries with a resinous, herbal, slightly astringent flavor — closer to a savory spice (notes of juniper and allspice) than a dessert fruit, traditionally cooked into sauces for meat and fish or dried and used like a peppercorn rather than eaten raw.

Hardiness

Zone 8–9

Habit

Shrub

Edible part

Fruit

Ripens

Autumn

Mature size

Evergreen shrub 2–3 m; good in containers

Light

Full sun to partial

Soil pH

5.5–7.0 (acid–neutral; dislikes chalk)

Environment

Mediterranean

Native range

Mediterranean basin — southern Europe, North Africa and the Near East, extending east to Iran; naturalised more widely

Status

Both wild and cultivated

Years to fruit

3–4 yrs

Growth speed

Moderate

Spacing

200 cm (79 in) apart — about 4 m² (43 sq ft) per plant

Leaf shape

Opposite, lanceolate to ovate, 2–5 cm long, glossy dark green with entire margins and translucent oil glands — strongly aromatic when crushed.

Root system

Fibrous, without invasive surface roots, and well adapted to thin dry Mediterranean soils. Highly prone to root rot in wet ground — sharp drainage matters more to this species than fertility.

Fruit description

Rounded blue-black berry about 7–10 mm across, ripening in autumn and holding the persistent calyx at the tip. Sweet-resinous and aromatic, with several small seeds; eaten fresh in small quantity and used to flavour the Sardinian liqueur mirto. A white-fruited form is also grown.

Propagation

Semi-hardwood cuttings in late summer with hormone and bottom heat — rooting is variable and the plant has a reputation among growers for being awkward, with clear seasonal differences in success. Seed germinates readily but plants are variable.

Pollination

Self-fertile

The edible parts listed above are a starting point, not a field guide. Identify a plant with certainty — ideally against a local authority — before eating any part of it, and read the full disclaimer. Spotted something wrong? Report it.