Luma apiculata
Common name:
Arrayan
Palo Colorado
Chilean Myrtle
Temlu
Pronunciation:
LOO-ma uh-pik-yoo-LAY-ta
Family:
Myrtaceae
Genus:
Synonyms:
uh-pik-yoo-LAY-ta
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Evergreen shrub or small tree, to 6-8(20) ft [2-2.5(6) m] high, similar width. Old plants develop smooth cinnamon-colored bark with a creamy white under bark, exfoliating. Leaves simple, opposite, elliptic to oval, 1.2-2.5 cm long, ending in an abrupt point (apiculate), dull dark green above, lighter below. Flowers solitary, white, about 2 cm across, 4-5 petals, stamens grouped in a ring and conspicuous, anthers pink; blooms from mid-summer to mid-fall. Blue-black fruit, edible and sweet but not highly regarded.
- Sun to partial shade. Grows best in an infertile, humus-rich, and well-drained soil. Can be grown as a hedge.
- Hardy to USDA Zone 8a Native to Chile, Argentina. (Closely related to Myrtus, in which the genus was formerly included.)
- apiculata: ending in a short point.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: parking lot north of Withycombe (on Orchard Ave.), in north-south lot divider.