458 M Y R 
a fearcher after etymology might be puzzled at fil'd; to 
guefs how the letter l infinuated itfelf into the name of 
this fhrub, fince they find it not in any of the above de¬ 
rivations. The fa ft is, that the Englifh word originates 
immediately from myrtilli, the name under which myrtle- 
berries were fent to England from Italy. 
The cultivation of the myrtle in England, is affigned' 
in the Kew Catalogue to the year 1629, when Parkinfon 
informs us that he had three forts (varieties) in his gar¬ 
den ; the broad-leaved and two varieties of the box¬ 
leaved : Gerard however, in 1597, fays that myrtles never 
bear any fruit in England, which furely implies the cul¬ 
tivation of it among us before that period. And Bradley 
informs us, that the myrtle was introduced by fir Francis 
Carew and fir Walter Raleigh in 1585, when they relided 
in Spain, and difcovered the preparations for the Spanifh 
armada againft us. Mr. Evelyn alfo, in the year 1678, 
fays, “ I know of one (a myrtil) near eighty years old, 
which has been continually expofed, unlefs it be, that in 
forne exceeding (harp feafons a little dry ftraw has been 
thrown upon it.” Perhaps he may allude to the tree at 
Bedington. But that was. the Spanifh broad-leaved or 
orange-leaved, variety, which Miller and Bradley report 
to have been above eighteen feet high, and to havefpread 
about forty-five feet. Box-leaved and orange-leaved are 
laid by Johnfon to have been “ nourifhed in the garden 
of Miltreffe Tuggie in Weflminfter, in 1633.” 
The principal varieties are erefted into fpecies by Mr. 
Miller. Their differences, as he has given them, are thefe. 
a. Common broad-leaved, or Roman, myrtle. This 
grows to the height of eight or ten feet in England, but 
is much higher in Italy, where it is the principal under¬ 
wood of fome of the forefts. The leaves are broader than 
moil of the other varieties, being an inch in breadth ; 
they are an inch and a half long, of a lucid green, end in 
acute points, and are fubfeffile, or on very fhort footftalks. 
The flowers are larger than thofe of the other varieties, on 
<pretty long (lender peduncles, from two to four at the 
fame axil. Berries ovate, or oblong-ovate, very dark pur¬ 
ple, fo that they feem to be black when ripe, inclofing 
from three to fix hard kidney-fhaped feeds. This variety 
is called by fome the flowering myrtle, becaufe it flowers 
more freely in England than the others. By others the 
Homan myrtle, becaufe it abounds about Rome. The 
woods between Leghorn and Pifa have cork-trees for the 
timber, and myrtle for the underwood. 
p. Box-leaved myrtle : leaves oval, fmall, feflile, of a 
lucid green, and ending in obtufe points. The branches 
weak, aqd frequently hanging down, when permitted to 
grow without Shortening; the bark is greyifit. The flow¬ 
ers are fmall, and come late in the fummer. The berries 
are fmall and round. 
y. Common Italian myrtle with ovate-lanceolate leaves, 
ending in acute points. The branches grow more ere£t 
than in either of the preceding, as do alfo the leaves, 
whence it is called by the gardeners upright myrtle. The 
flowers are not large, and the petals are marked with pur¬ 
ple at their points, whilft they remain clofed: the berries 
are fmall, oval, and of a purple colour. This is the va¬ 
riety delineated on the annexed Engraving at fig. 1. It 
is obfervable, that the leaves of this fhrub have no pun¬ 
gent or even lenfible fmell, unlefs bruifed between the fin¬ 
gers. The leaves and flowers have an aftringent quality, 
and are ufed for cleanfing the fkin, fixing the teeth when 
loofened by the fcurvy, and ftrengthening the fibres. 
From the flowers and young tops is drawn a diftilled water 
that is deterfive, aftringent, cofmetic, and ufed in gargles. 
A decoftion of the flowers and leaves is applied in fomen¬ 
tations. The berries have a binding deterfive quality; 
and the chemical oil obtained from them is excellent for. 
the hair, and ufed in pomatums and raoft other external 
beautifiers of the face and fkin. As an internal medicine, 
thefe berries have little or no merit. 
There is a fub-variety of this with white berries ; and 
the nutmeg-myrtle feems to be only a variety of this, feve- 
T V S. v 
ral plants raifed from the feed of it being fo like the Ita¬ 
lian myrtle as hardly to be diftinguifhed from it. 
S. Orange-leaved or (or as it is called by fome) bay¬ 
leaved myrtle, has aftronger ftalk and branches, and riles 
to a greater height. The leaves are ovate-lanceolate, in 
clutters found the branches, and of a dark green. The 
flowers are of a middling fize, and come out fparingly 
from between the leaves. The berries are oval, and fmaller 
than.thofe of the firft. It is not fo hardy as that. 
e. Portugal myrtle : leave? lefs than an inch long, and 
not more than half an inch broad, lanceolate-ovate acute, 
of a dull green, and fet pretty dole on the branches. The 
flowers are fmaller. 
£. Broad-leaved Dutch myrtle: leaves much lefs than 
thofe of the common fort, and more pointed, Handing 
clofe together on the branches; the midrib on the under 
fide of the leaves is of a purple colour; they are of a darker 
green, and fit clofer to the branches. The flowers are 
fmaller, and on fhorter peduncles: they come out a little 
later than the common fort. 
The double-flowering myrtle is probably a variety of 
this ; the leaves and growth of the plant, the fize of the 
flowers, and the time of flowering, agreeing better with 
this than any of the others. Mr. Miller, in his plate, has 
figured the double myrtle as a variety of the Italian. 
v. Rofemary-leaved, or, as fome call it, thyme-leaved 
myrtle, has the branches growing pretty ereft : the leaves 
fmall, narrow, acute, feflile, and of a lucid green. Flowers 
fmall, appearing late in the feafon. 
The above varieties are conftant; others there are which 
are propagated in the gardens and nurferies for fale, which 
are lefs confiderable and more variable. It may fuffice to 
give the names of thefe: 1. Gold-ftriped broad-leaved 
myrtle. 2. Broad-leaved Jews’myrtle, having frequently 
the leaves in threes, on which account it is faid to be in 
efteem among the Jews in their religious ceremonies. 3. 
Gold-ftriped orange-leaved myrtle. 4. Silver-ftriped Ita¬ 
lian myrtle. 5. Striped box-leaved myrtle. 6. Silver- 
ftriped rofemary-leaved myrtle. 7. Silver-ftriped nutmeg 
myrtle. 8. Cock’s-comb or bird’s-neft myrtle. 
2. Myrtus tomentofa, or woolly-leaved myrtle : pe¬ 
duncles one-flowered; leaves triple-nerved, tomentofe un¬ 
derneath. Branches round, tomentofe. Leaves an inch 
and a half long, elliptic, blunt, above dark and veined, re¬ 
flex at the edge, the nerves more confpicuous underneath 3 
fmooth above, hoary underneath, on very fhort petioles. 
Loureiro thus deferibes it under the name of M. canef- 
cens: Stems fhrubby, ereft, fix feet high, manifold, 
fmooth, whitifh, even ; with fpreading branches. Leaves 
quite entire, three-nerved, hoary ; on petioles connate 
with the ftalk. Flowers purplifh, folitary, fcattered, hav¬ 
ing a large berried five-cleft calyx, with rounded fpread¬ 
ing unequal fegments, and an involucre of two fmaller 
leaves underneath. Petals five, roundifh, fpreading, 
longer than the calyx. Stamens nearly equal to the co¬ 
rolla. Berry ovate, crowned, tomentofe, black-purple, 
three-celled, with a juicy, blackifh, fweet-aftringent, ef- 
culentpulp; and many minute roundifh feeds. Native 
of China and Cochinchina. Introduced about 1776, by 
Mrs. Norman. It flowers in June and July. 
3. Myrtus alpina, or alpine myrtle: peduncles folitary, 
terminating, one-flowered, very fhort; leaves ovate; 
branchlets in fours, faftigiate 5 Item arboreous. Native 
of Jamaica. 
4. Myrtus procera, or tall myrtle: peduncles cluf- 
tered,axillary, one-flowered; leaves ovate-acuminate, flat, 
fmooth; branches rod-like ; Item arboreous. 5. Myrtus 
liguftrina, or privet-myrtle : peduncles folitary, and 
branched, terminating, one-flowered; leaves lanceolate, 
blunt, convex, lucid. 6. Myrtus crenulata, or notch¬ 
leaved myrtle : peduncles folitary, axillary, commonly 
three-flowered ; leaves roundifh, crenulate, fmooth. Na¬ 
tives of Hifpaniola. 
7. Myrtus cerafina, or cherry-myrtle: peduncles lateral 
and terminating, one-flowered ; leaves oblong, fhining, 
dotted 
