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| Source: http://www.bioimages.org.uk/ copyright all rights reserved. |
Last updated: 20th September 2002
| BOG-MYRTLE (See also Myrtle) |
Family: Myricaceae
Genus: Myrica
Species: gale
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| Source: http://www.bioimages.org.uk/ copyright all rights reserved. |
Contents
General Background
Details of Quality Characteristics
Current Production and Yields
Constraints upon Production
Markets and Market Potential
Other Information
Research
Useful Websites
BioMat Net
Contacts
References
General Background
Bog-myrtle is a distinctive shrubby deciduous
plant of 60 – 250 cm high spread by suckers.
It has dark green, waxy leaves which are
generally 2-6cm long with conspicuous scattered
shining yellowish sessile glands on both
sides. Twigs of the plant are red brown and
scattered with yellowish glands.
Found in the higher latitudes of Europe,
especially the UK. Bog-myrtle is a shrub
of wet, acid heath land, bogs and moors.
It is abundant in Scotland, north-Wales and
north-west England, but with surviving populations
in for instance, the Devon and Surrey commons
and the Norfolk Broads.
Details of Quality Characteristics
The catkins and leaves are full of aromatic
compounds.
The essential oils of bog-myrtle are repellent
to insects and are also toxic.
Current Production and Yields
No statistics are currently available regarding
the production and yields of bog-myrtle as
a commercially grown crop.
Constraints upon Production
Bog myrtle is only able to grow on raised
peaty wetlands. It requires relatively warm
conditions with ample moisture available.
The plants have been identified to 550m and
can become locally dominant in some areas.
Markets and Market Potential
The leaves were used in Uist and in Glenald
in Scotland (as well as in Scandinavian countries)
to flavour and help preserve beer. Also this
species is often used to garnish food and
used in cooking in some parts of Scotland.
Sprigs of this plant are stored with clothes
to discourage moths, and anglers have been
known to wear sprigs to keep away the midges
(Culicoides impunctatus). The berries can
also be used for pottage, soups and broths.
Since the dark ages the plant has been used
to treat depression because of its ability
to induce a good mood and calm stress. Bog
myrtle has also been used in poultices to
heal wounds, suggesting that it may contain
strong anti-bacterial agents that could perhaps
be developed into new antibiotics.
In 1995 a commercial midge-repellent based
on bog-myrtle appeared on the market under
the name ‘Myrica’. It was produced from wild
myrtle growing on the Isle of Skye, which
had been steam distilled to produce a volatile
essential oil. In initial trials, eight volunteers
each had one arm covered in a gel made from
the essential oil. Untreated arms recorded
155 bites while the treated arms received
just 13 (over a 10 minute period) (Mabey,
1996).
The leaves of bog-myrtle are used in Scotland
in the production of commercially available
heather ales as flavourings and to help preserve
the beer.
Scientists from Aberystwyth-based Moleculanature
Ltd have been testing Bog myrtle in the hope
of finding new drugs. Results show many potentially
useful chemical compounds lie within the
plant and can be passed onto drug firms for
possible development.
Bog myrtle could also provide a valuable
source of income for farmers with peat bog
on their land.
Other Information
Bog-Myrtle can tolerate soils with high acidity
and can also succeed in water logged soils.
The plant requires potting indoors in the
autumn and then transferring outside in late-spring
or early-summer. The seeds will ripen ready
for harvest in August/September. Bog-myrtle
is able to fix atmospheric N, some of which
will be used by the plant itself and the
remainder by plants in the surrounding area.
Research
See information above on commercial midge
repellent based on bog-myrtle (Mabey, 1996).
See also Harris 2001 ‘Beserk Vikings provide
clue to ‘miracle cure’’. Molecular Nature
Ltd.
Useful Websites
www.rock.org/earl/bwca/nature/shrubs - General description including uses, cultivation,
history and taxonomy.
www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/g/galswe03.html
- General description including constituents
and medicinal uses.
BioMat Net
Contacts
References
