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Definitions for: Myrtle [n] widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny leaves and usually blue-violet flowers
[n] any evergreen shrub or tree of the genus Myrtus
Webster (1913) Definition: Myr"tle (m[~e]r"t'l), n. [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a
little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr.
my`rtos; cf. Per. m[=u]rd.] (Bot.)
A species of the genus Myrtus, especially {Myrtus
communis}. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem,
eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head,
thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It
has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by
black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it
sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used
variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the
beautifully mottled wood is used in turning.
Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in
America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered
periwinkle and the yellow-flowered moneywort. In the
West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called
myrtle.
Bog myrtle, the sweet gale.
Crape myrtle. See under Crape.
Myrtle warbler (Zo["o]l.), a North American wood warbler
(Dendroica coronata); -- called also myrtle bird,
yellow-rumped warbler, and yellow-crowned warbler.
Myrtle wax. (Bot.) See Bayberry tallow, under Bayberry.
Sand myrtle, a low, branching evergreen shrub ({Leiophyllum
buxifolium}), growing in New Jersey and southward.
Wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera). See Bayberry.
Synonyms: Vinca minor
See Also: angiospermous tree, common myrtle, flowering tree, Myrtus communis, periwinkle
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