Ugni molinae
Encyclopedia
Ugni molinae, commonly known as Chilean guava, or strawberry myrtle, is a shrub
native to Chile
and adjacent regions of southern Argentina
. The Mapuche
Native American name is "Uñi". It is in the same botanical family
as the Guava
.
The fruit is sometimes marketed as "Ugniberry", as "New Zealand cranberry" in New Zealand
, and the name "Tazziberry" has been trademarked in Australia
, but it is not a native plant
to these countries.
from 30 cm to 170 cm tall with evergreen
foliage. In some exceptional cases the shrub can grow up to 3 m in height. The leaves
are opposite, oval, 1-2 cm long and 1-1.5 cm broad, entire, glossy dark green, with a spicy scent if crushed. The flower
s are drooping, 1 cm diameter with four or five white or pale pink petals and numerous short stamens; the fruit
is a small red, white or purple berry
1 cm diameter. In its natural habitat; the Valdivian temperate rain forests
the fruit matures in autumn from March to May.
It was first described by Juan Ignacio Molina
(hence its name) in 1782. It was introduced to England
in 1844 by the botanist and plant collector William Lobb
, where it became a favorite fruit of Queen Victoria
. It is also grown as an ornamental plant
.
The fruit is cultivated to a small extent. The usage of the fruit in cuisine is limited to southern Chile where it grows. It is used to make the traditional liqueur
Murtado
that is made of aguardiente
and sugar flavoured by conserving murtas inside the bottle. It is also used to make jam and the Murta con membrillo
dessert
and in Kuchen
s.
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
native to Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
and adjacent regions of southern Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
. The Mapuche
Mapuche
The Mapuche are a group of indigenous inhabitants of south-central Chile and southwestern Argentina. They constitute a wide-ranging ethnicity composed of various groups who shared a common social, religious and economic structure, as well as a common linguistic heritage. Their influence extended...
Native American name is "Uñi". It is in the same botanical family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
as the Guava
Guava
Guavas are plants in the myrtle family genus Psidium , which contains about 100 species of tropical shrubs and small trees. They are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America...
.
The fruit is sometimes marketed as "Ugniberry", as "New Zealand cranberry" in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the name "Tazziberry" has been trademarked in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, but it is not a native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
to these countries.
Description
The Ugni is a shrubShrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
from 30 cm to 170 cm tall with evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
foliage. In some exceptional cases the shrub can grow up to 3 m in height. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are opposite, oval, 1-2 cm long and 1-1.5 cm broad, entire, glossy dark green, with a spicy scent if crushed. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are drooping, 1 cm diameter with four or five white or pale pink petals and numerous short stamens; the fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a small red, white or purple berry
Berry
The botanical definition of a berry is a fleshy fruit produced from a single ovary. Grapes are an example. The berry is the most common type of fleshy fruit in which the entire ovary wall ripens into an edible pericarp. They may have one or more carpels with a thin covering and fleshy interiors....
1 cm diameter. In its natural habitat; the Valdivian temperate rain forests
Valdivian temperate rain forests
The Valdivian temperate rain forests are a temperate broadleaf and mixed-forest ecoregion located on the west coast of southern South America, lying mostly in Chile and extending into a small part of Argentina. It is part of the Neotropic ecozone. The forests are named after the city of Valdivia...
the fruit matures in autumn from March to May.
It was first described by Juan Ignacio Molina
Juan Ignacio Molina
Fr. Juan Ignacio Molina was a Chilean Jesuit priest, naturalist, historian, botanist, ornithologist and geographer...
(hence its name) in 1782. It was introduced to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1844 by the botanist and plant collector William Lobb
William Lobb
William Lobb was a Cornish plant collector, employed by Veitch Nurseries of Exeter, who was responsible for the commercial introduction to England of Araucaria araucana from Chile and the massive Sequoiadendron giganteum from North America.He and his brother, Thomas Lobb, were the first...
, where it became a favorite fruit of Queen Victoria
Victoria of the United Kingdom
Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....
. It is also grown as an ornamental plant
Ornamental plant
Ornamental plants are plants that are grown for decorative purposes in gardens and landscape design projects, as house plants, for cut flowers and specimen display...
.
The fruit is cultivated to a small extent. The usage of the fruit in cuisine is limited to southern Chile where it grows. It is used to make the traditional liqueur
Liqueur
A liqueur is an alcoholic beverage that has been flavored with fruit, herbs, nuts, spices, flowers, or cream and bottled with added sugar. Liqueurs are typically quite sweet; they are usually not aged for long but may have resting periods during their production to allow flavors to marry.The...
Murtado
Murtado
Murtado is a typical liqueur from southern Chile where the endemic Ugni molinae grows. It is made by conserving Ugni molinae inside a bottle with aguardiente for some weeks and then mixing it with syrup....
that is made of aguardiente
Aguardiente
Aguardiente , aiguardent , aguardente , and augardente are generic terms for alcoholic beverages that contain between 29% and 60% alcohol by volume...
and sugar flavoured by conserving murtas inside the bottle. It is also used to make jam and the Murta con membrillo
Murta con membrillo
Murta con membrillo is a typical dessert from southern Chile where the Chilean guava shrub is common. It is made by boiling the quince and the Chilean guava berries together with sugar....
dessert
Dessert
In cultures around the world, dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve." Common Western desserts include cakes, biscuits,...
and in Kuchen
Kuchen
Kuchen , the German word for cake, is used in other languages as the name for several different types of sweet desserts, pastries, and gateaux...
s.
External links
- Description at pfaf.org - Ugni molinae
- Chilean government project - promoting commercial use (in Spanish)