EUGENIA. 



TjlUGrENIA (Myrtus) Ugni has not proved equal to the high commendations lavished 



I/ 



upon it when first introduced as a fruit-bearing shrub said to be adapted to the milder 



situations of this country. It is not sufficiently hardy to succeed against south walls, 

 except in the south of England. It is a native of Chili (Valdivia), where the fruit 

 is much esteemed ; it is the size of a large black currant or small cherry, somewhat 

 flattened, globular, and crowned with persistent calyx teeth, brownish-red or glossy 



black, with an agreeable aroma. The pulp 

 is light-coloured, soft, and juicy, with a sweet 

 and spicy flavour, which is very pleasant to 

 the palate. The juice expressed from the 

 fruit, and mixed with water, furnishes a 

 refreshing drink, with an aromatic odour. 



Eugenia Ugni is an evergreen greenhouse 

 shrub of myrtle-like appearance, and bears 

 white flowers on axillary pedicels, from 

 the well-ripened wood. It is raised from 

 cuttings of half- ripe shoots, or those 

 becoming firm at the base, inserted in sandy 

 soil, under a bell glass, or in a close frame. 

 The young plants should be placed in 3-inch 

 pots and grown with a single stem, in 

 a light airy position in the greenhouse, 

 pinching off the point of the shoot when 

 6 inches high, and the resulting growths 

 at 3 or 4 inches ; they will then form thrifty bushes if transferred to larger pots. 

 They grow well in a mixture of three parts fibrous loam, one part each of fibrous 

 sandy peat and leaf soil, with one part of crystal sand and charcoal in equal 

 proportions, to maintain sweetness and porosity. The soil must be pressed down 

 firmly whether the plants are grown in pots or planted in borders. 



Fig. 54. EUGENIA UGNI. 



