Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

TreesShrubs

Amomyrtus meli

luma blanca

An evergreen tree or erect shrub reaching about 4m (13ft) in cultivation (20m or 65ft in the wild), with smooth, whitish or light reddish-brown bark. It has stiff, leathery, dark green ovate leaves that are strongly aromatic. Bears cream-coloured flowers profusely in late summer.

Other common names

meli

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
1 suppliers

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

5–10 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Clay

Loam

Chalk

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Acid, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full shade
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Myrtaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen
Habit: Columnar upright
Genus: Amomyrtus are evergreen shrubs or small trees with aromatic leaves and small, fragrant, bowl-shaped, five-petalled flowers in spring
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Chile

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in a moderately fertile, consistently moist but well drained soil in a sunny, sheltered position. Protect from cold, drying winds

Propagation

Propagate by sowing pre-soaked seed in containers in a cold frame in spring. Root semi-ripe cuttings with gentle bottom heat in late summer.

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
Low Maintenance
Flower borders and beds

Pruning

Pruning group 1

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.