About Luma chequen (Molina) A.Gray
Luma chequen (Molina) A.Gray, commonly known as white Chilean myrtle, is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus Luma in the myrtle family Myrtaceae. It is native to the central Andes Mountains between Chile and Argentina, growing at latitudes between 30° and 41° South. Its scientific synonyms are Eugenia chequen Molina, Myrtus chequen (Molina) Spreng., and Luma gayana (Barn.) Burret. In Spanish, its common names are chequén, huillipeta, and arrayán blanco, which translates to white myrtle. This plant is usually a shrub, and rarely grows as a small tree, reaching up to 9 meters in height. It has dull grey-brown bark, which differs from the smooth red bark of the closely related species Luma apiculata. It is evergreen, bearing small fragrant oval leaves that are 0.5 to 2.5 centimeters long and 0.3 to 1.5 centimeters broad. It produces white flowers from early to mid summer. Its fruit is an edible dark purple berry 1 centimeter in diameter, which ripens in early autumn. It has been introduced as an ornamental plant to the North Pacific Coast of the United States.
