Myrtle, Common

Myrtle forms a densely branched and evergreen shrub. The plant grows wild in dry, sunny places in the Mediterranean, but is also used as an ornamental shrub. The shrub blooms in summer, covered with fragrant, white flowers that are about 2 cm in size. After flowering, purple berries with a diameter of 7 mm appear. In the Netherlands, myrtle is considered moderately hardy; it is safer to keep the plant in a pot and overwinter it frost-free.
Leaves, flowers, and fruits are used in perfumery. Myrtenol, an antitussive, is extracted from the plant. When crushed, the leaves release an aromatic scent. Myrtle is said to bring good luck to marriage and fertility. In Mediterranean countries, pieces of meat and poultry are wrapped in myrtle leaves before serving, which slightly flavors the meat. Myrtle branches are also used for a fire on which meat is roasted. Myrtle leaf tea promotes expectoration. Dried and ground leaves were formerly used as body powder.
On Sukkot, the Jewish Feast of Tabernacles, three myrtle twigs picked on the first day of the feast are used, along with other branches and a fragrant fruit, for the "Lulav waving," a custom based on Vayikra (Leviticus) 23:40-41. The fragrant but tasteless myrtle branches or "hadassim" symbolize the Jews who do not study the Torah but do apply it. A customer's addition: "As a supplement to your story about myrtle, on Sardinia, a liqueur is made from it that is not to be scorned. Various brands are available; if you go out to eat somewhere, you first get a glass of myrtle, and it is also widely sold in carafes and special bottles as a souvenir."

Names:
Latin: Myrtus communis ssp. creticum
Dutch: Mirte
Also called: Bruidsmirte
English: Myrtle