Taxon:  Myrtus communis L.



Summary
Genus:
Myrtus
Family:
Myrtaceae
Subfamily:
Myrtoideae
Tribe:
Myrteae
Nomen number:
24898
Place of publication:
Sp. pl. 1:471.  1753
Verified:
01/30/2012 ARS Systematic Botanists.
Accessions:
5 (0  active, 0  available) in National Plant Germplasm System.  (Map it)
Other conspecific taxa
Myrtus communis L. subsp. communis (0 active accession[s])
Myrtus communis L. subsp. tarentina (L.) Nyman (1 active accession[s])
Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations
Images (2 total. Click on image for more.)
Fruit

Conservation Status

Reference(s)
  1. Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
  2. APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
  3. Castroviejo, S. et al., eds. 1989-. Flora iberica: plantas vasculares de la Peninsula Iberica e Islas Baleares.
  4. Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
  5. Encke, F. et al. 1993. Zander: Handwörterbuch der Pflanzennamen, 14. Auflage
  6. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  7. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
  8. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa. Note: as Myrtus communis var. communis
  9. Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
  10. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  11. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  12. Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
  13. Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
  14. McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
  15. Pajaujis Anonis, D. 1993. Flower oils and floral compounds in perfumery.
  16. Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
  17. Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).
  18. Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
  19. Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
  20. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
  21. Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
  22. Wood, J. R. I. 1997. A handbook of the Yemen flora.
Common names
LanguageNameAlternate namenoteseqCitation
Englishmyrtle  1Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
Frenchmyrte commun  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
GermanMyrte  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanisharrayán  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanishmirto  2Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedishmyrten  2Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Distribution
order_codeStatusContinentSubcontinentCountryStateNoteReference
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalAzores Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaPortugalMadeira Islands Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaMacaronesiaSpainCanarias Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEritrea  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNortheast Tropical AfricaEthiopia  Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaAlgeria  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaLibya  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaMorocco  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAfricaNorthern AfricaTunisia  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeAsia-TemperateArabian PeninsulaYemen  Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaAfghanistan  Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaCyprus  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIran  Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIraq  Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaIsrael  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaJordan  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaLebanon  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaSyria  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TemperateWestern AsiaTurkey  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeAsia-TropicalIndian SubcontinentPakistan  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeAlbania  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeFormer Yugoslavia  Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeGreece incl. CreteGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeItaly incl. Sardinia, SicilyGreuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSoutheastern EuropeMalta  Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeFrance incl. CorsicaTutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropePortugal  Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
1NativeEuropeSouthwestern EuropeSpain incl. BalearesTutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
2Cultivated    also cult. 
4NaturalizedAfricaSouthern AfricaSouth AfricaWestern Cape Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa. Note: as Myrtus communis var. communis
Native
Africa
  • MACARONESIA: Spain [Canarias], Portugal [Azores, Madeira Islands]
  • NORTHERN AFRICA: Algeria, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia
  • NORTHEAST TROPICAL AFRICA: Eritrea, Ethiopia
Asia-Temperate
  • ARABIAN PENINSULA: Yemen
  • WESTERN ASIA: Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey
Asia-Tropical
  • INDIAN SUBCONTINENT: Pakistan
Europe
  • SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE: Former Yugoslavia, Albania, Greece (incl. Crete), Italy (incl. Sardinia, Sicily), Malta
  • SOUTHWESTERN EUROPE: Spain (incl. Baleares), France (incl. Corsica), Portugal
Cultivated (also cult.)
Naturalized
Africa
  • SOUTHERN AFRICA: South Africa [Western Cape]

Reference(s)
  1. Euro+Med Editorial Committee. Euro+Med Plantbase: the information resource for Euro-Mediterranean plant diversity (on-line resource).
  2. Germishuizen, G. & N. L. Meyer, eds. 2003. Plants of southern Africa: an annotated checklist. Strelitzia 14 National Botanical Institute, Pretoria, South Africa. Note: as Myrtus communis var. communis
  3. Govaerts, R. et al. 2008. World checklist of Myrtaceae
  4. Greuter, W. et al., eds. 1984-. Med-Checklist.
  5. Hedberg, I. & S. Edwards. 1989-. Flora of Ethiopia Note: Eritrea added in 2000
  6. Silva, L. et al. 2005. Listagem da fauna e flora terrestres dos Açores. Lista des plantas vasculares (Pteridophyta e Spermatophyta).
  7. Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964-1980. Flora europaea.
Economic Uses
UsageTypeNoteReference
Environmentalornamental Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
Environmentalornamental Walters, S. M. et al., eds. 1986-2000. European garden flora.
Materialsessential oils Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Materialstannin/dyestuff Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Materialswood Mabberley, D. J. 1997. The plant-book: a portable dictionary of the vascular plants, ed. 2
Medicinesfolklore Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicinesfolklore McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=24898. Accessed 15 April 2026.