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Myrtaceae FAMILY

Ugni molinae

Ugni molinae

Edibility
5/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Shrub
GrowthMedium

Ugni molinae is a plant of warmer regions of the temperate zone and only tolerates fairly short-lived, light to moderate frosts. It can tolerate short periods with temperatures down to about -10°c when fully dormant[1]. The young growth in spring can be damaged by late frosts. Succeeds in any reasonably good soil including[2] dry ones. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained loam in a sunny position[3, 4]. Fairly tolerant of maritime exposure[PFAF]. Established plants are drought resistant[5]. A very ornamental plant with fragrant flowers[3]. Plants grow and fruit very well in southwest England. Indeed, in the past it has been cultivated commercially for its fruit there[3, 6] (it was one of Queen Victoria's favourite fruits), but is now normally only grown as an ornamental plant. This is a much underused plant that highly merits cultivation on a commercial scale for its fruit[PFAF]. Flowers and fruits well even when the plants are young[3, 7]. Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[4].

Propagation

Pre-soak the seed for 24 hours in warm water and then sow it in late winter in a greenhouse. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts[PFAF]. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 7 - 10cm with a heel, mid summer in a frame. Pot up in the autumn and overwinter in a cold frame. Plant out in late spring. High percentage[8]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current seasons growth, 7 - 12cm with a heel, late autumn in a shaded and frost free frame. Plant out in late spring or early autumn. High percentage[8]. Layering. Cite as: Temperate Plants Database, Ken Fern. temperate.theferns.info. 2026-02-21. <temperate.theferns.info/plant/Ugni+molinae>

Pollinators

Bees

References

  1. [1]Shrubs. — Phillips. R. & Rix. M. · Pan Books · 1989 · ISBN 0-330-30258-2 ↩︎Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1,900 species and cultivars.
  2. [2]RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 — F. Chittendon. · Oxford University Press · 1951 · ISBN - ↩︎Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaced in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [ 200 ]).
  3. [3]Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. — Bean. W. · Murray · 1981 · ISBN - ↩︎A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.
  4. [4]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  5. [5]Lost Crops of the Incas — Popenoe. H. et al · National Academy Press · 1990 · ISBN 0-309-04264-X ↩︎An excellent book. Very readable, with lots of information and good pictures of some lesser known food plants of S. America.
  6. [6]Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall. — Thurston. ↩︎Trees and shrubs that succeed in Cornwall based on the authors own observations. Good but rather dated.
  7. [7]The Milder Garden. — Taylor. J. · Dent · 1990 ↩︎A good book on plants that you didn't know could be grown outdoors in Britain.
  8. [8]Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. — Sheat. W. G. · MacMillan and Co · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.
  9. [9]Exotic Fruits Reference Guide — Rodrigues S., Silva E. de O. & de Brito E.S. (Editors) · Academic Press; London · 2018 · ISBN 978-0-12-803138-4 ↩︎In-depth study of more than 60 species of fruit.
  10. [10]Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. — Hedrick. U. P. · Dover Publications · 1972 · ISBN 0-486-20459-6 ↩︎Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
  11. [11]Growing Unusual Fruit. — Simmons. A. E. · David & Charles; Newton Abbot. · 1972 · ISBN 0-7153-5531-7 ↩︎A very readable book with information on about 100 species that can be grown in Britain (some in greenhouses) and details on how to grow and use them.
  12. [12]Los nombres vulgares de las Plants Silvestres de Chile i su concordancia con los nombres cientificos — Victor Manuel Baeza · 1920 ↩︎A list of Chilean common names, listing the botanical name, a brief description and, often, a list of uses.
  13. [13]Edible Ornamental Garden. — Bryan. J. and Castle. C. · Pitman Publishing · 1976 · ISBN 0-273-00098-5 ↩︎A small book with interesting ideas for edible plants in the ornamental garden.
  14. [14]Plants for Human Consumption. — Kunkel. G. · Koeltz Scientific Books · 1984 · ISBN 3874292169 ↩︎An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of Latin names with a brief list of edible parts.
  15. [15]Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications · 1990 · ISBN 0-9628087-0-9 ↩︎Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
  16. [16]Mapuche Herbal Medicine Inhibits Blood Platelet Aggregation — Susan Skanderup Falkenberg et al · Hindawi Publishing Corporation · 2012 ↩︎A research paper, it includes information on the herbal uses of 12 plants
  17. [PFAF]Plants for a Future — pfaf.org ↩︎