Myrtle, the queen plant of the Mediterranean scrubland

Among the aromatic plants that populate the Mediterranean scrubland, myrtle has a particularly long and fascinating history. Its unmistakable fragrance has for centuries been an integral part of the daily lives of the inhabitants of the coastal areas of our peninsula, but it is in Sardinia that the Myrtus communis has managed to carve out a truly unique space and become a real-life symbol plant.

Want to learn more about this fascinating shrub? Keep reading and you will find plenty of information about the characteristics and cultivation of the myrtle plant, its properties, and its history rich in curious anecdotes.

Characteristics and varieties of Myrtus communis

Myrtus communis, commonly known as myrtle or mortella, is a wild plant typical of the Mediterranean landscape. It is an evergreen shrub with very dense branching, with shiny and leathery leaves of a beautiful bright green. The youngest branches have reddish bark, which over time tends to take on a color closer to gray.

In summer, the pure white myrtle flowers appear, abundant and highly aromatic (as are all parts of the plant), highly appreciated by bees. Later, the berries appear, of various colors and sizes. Although the best known is the black-berried myrtle, you can also opt for a white-berried variety. Myrtle berries reach full maturity around the end of November.

The height reached by Myrtus communis depends, in addition to the variety, also on the growing environment. The tallest shrubs reach a maximum height of over 3 meters, while Myrtus communis 'Microphylla' is a dwarf myrtle variety that grows to a maximum height of one and a half meters. Another interesting variety to mention is Myrtus communis 'Macrophylla', a large-leaved variety of the classic wild myrtle.

How to grow myrtle

Myrtus communis is very easy to grow, both in pots and in the ground, provided it is in a climatically favorable area. As is easy to guess from its coastal origins, myrtle loves the warm areas of our country and does not tolerate intense frost.

The myrtle plant is very resistant and adaptable, capable of thriving even in very poor and dry soils. It prefers neutral or acidic soils, while it does not like calcareous soils and those subject to waterlogging.

The beauty of its flowering and the wonderful aroma of myrtle make it a plant of great ornamental value, ideal for creating evergreen aromatic hedges . In general, it is a plant that simply cannot be missing in the creation of a Mediterranean aromatic garden.

When to prune myrtle?

Myrtle does not require overly drastic pruning interventions, as it tends by itself to take on a natural bush shape. You can proceed with a first pruning in the month of March, when the plant is in its vegetative recovery period: with this pruning, the aim will be to rejuvenate the plant, removing all dry or damaged parts. A second myrtle pruning can be carried out in summer to contain the growth of the plant and eventually give it a more harmonious shape.

Not just liqueur: myrtle in the kitchen

It is impossible to talk about Myrtus communis without mentioning the extraordinary myrtle liqueur that is a tradition and pride of Sardinia. Classic Sardinian myrtle is produced from the alcoholic maceration of dark berries of the myrtle plant, and it is a liqueur with excellent digestive properties.

There is then the White Myrtle variant, the name with which the liqueur obtained from the maceration of white berries is erroneously called. In reality, this name more properly designates the liqueur obtained from the hydroalcoholic infusion of young myrtle shoots.

The love of the Sardinians for Myrtus communis does not stop here, however. The island cuisine makes extensive use of myrtle as a seasoning to flavor meats, especially game (as in the case of the recipe for quails with myrtle).

Stepping out of Sardinia for a moment, among the most interesting recipes we cannot help but mention mozzarella in mortella: this typical preparation of Cilento uses myrtle leaves to flavor and preserve the mozzarella.

Beneficial properties of myrtle

Although it is particularly known for its culinary virtues, the myrtle plant is also rich in essential oils beneficial to health. Precisely by virtue of its balsamic, anti-inflammatory, and astringent properties, it has known (and still knows) a vast use in the herbal, pharmaceutical, and aromatherapeutic fields. Its ability to soothe the discomforts of the respiratory and digestive systems makes it widely used in the preparation of decoctions against bronchitis and purifying herbal teas.

Myrtle has also known a phytocosmetic use that dates back even to the Middle Ages. It is, in fact, the fundamental ingredient for the preparation of Acqua degli Angeli, an aromatic water with myrtle flowers used for the care of sensitive skin.

Curiosities about Myrtus communis

As we have seen, myrtle has accompanied the daily lives of the Mediterranean populations for thousands of years. There is therefore no wonder that a great number of anecdotes and curiosities are linked to it.

• In classical antiquity, myrtle had a fundamental role in mythology. The Greeks attributed the birth of the plant to the unfortunate fate of Myrsine, a young girl killed by her jealous rival for the defeat suffered in a gymnastic competition. The girl was transformed by the goddess Athena into a plant that would take her name: myrtle, precisely.
• In Greco-Roman mythology, myrtle is also indissolubly linked to the cult of Aphrodite (Venus to the Latins), the goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. This association derives from the belief that the goddess, just born from the sea foam, had taken refuge behind a myrtle bush to escape the snares of a satyr.
• In the Botanical Garden of Pisa, it is possible to admire an imposing specimen of myrtle planted in 1815. Precisely in its honor, an entire area of the botanical garden was renamed as the "Orto del Mirto", rich in medicinal plants used for therapeutic purposes.
• Some linguists and lexicographers have identified in myrtle (or rather in mortella, as the plant is called in some areas of Italy) the origin of the word "mortadella". It seems, in fact, that the name of this tasty sausage comes from the Latin expression "myrtatum farcimen", which indicated a preparation of pork meats flavored with myrtle berries (often used to replace pepper, a less available and more expensive spice).