MYRTLES
Noun
myrtles
plural of myrtle
Source: Wiktionary
MYRTLE
Myr"tle, n. Etym: [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a little myrtle, from
myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr. m.] (Bot.)
Definition: 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 (Zoöl.), 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.
Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition