myrtle

noun

• 1an evergreen shrub which has glossy aromatic foliage and white flowers followed by purple-black oval berries.

  • Myrtus communis, family Myrtaceae (the myrtle family). This family also includes several aromatic plants (clove, allspice) and many characteristic Australian plants (such as eucalyptus trees and bottlebrushes)

• 2North American the lesser periwinkle.

  • Vinca minor, family Apocynaceae. See periwinkle¹