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Common Myrtle, True Myrtle
Myrtus communis

4.2 Endangered

Update Time: Jan. 1, 2011, 7:39 a.m.

Myrtus communis is one of the four species related to the Jewish festival of Sukkot
(Feast of the
Tabernacles). It is used in fragrances and is
an important medicinal plant. The oil produced from M. communis is
used for washing
 babies, for treating
burns 
and for alleviating stomach pains. It is believed that an infusion of M. communis
leaves heals eye infections, serves as an external
antiseptic, is good for asthma and strengthens the
 hair roots. Cultured varieties are
common
 in
gardens
, and the plant is used for wild plant gardening in open areas.

The
wild variety of
Myrtus communis is rare and grows in only five regions  Upper Galilee,
Lower Galilee, Carmel, Hula Valley and Golan Heights. In the Carmel, it grows in the
Ramat HaNadiv
area, and in a number of scattered
locations from Isfia up to the outskirts of Haifa.
 The Carmel is the southernmost point of its global distribution. In the Lower Galilee, it grows only
in the
Amud Stream. In the Upper Galilee, it grows on the Mount
Meron and Mount Cnaan block.  A single
site
 was recorded in Wadi HaShomer near Kfar Gil'adi. This population is geographically related to the dense population in the Tel Dan Nature
Reserve (Hula Valley
). Rare individuals grow on Mount Hermon on the slopes
descending
from the Nimrod Fortress to En Qiniye and the
Sa'ar Stream. In the Golan, many plants grow on the slopes descending
 to the Hula Valley and the Bet Tsayda
Valley,
particularly in the the Yehudiya - Zavitan
- Gilbon
streams section.

In Israel Myrtus communis grows
in
 two different habitat types: one on the slopes of the
relatively arid Mediterranean
 zone in
the
Eastern Galilee, in the southern Carmel and on the Golan Heights; the other is on riverbanks
in northern Israel
. In other parts of its global range, particularly in Turkey, M. communis
grows as a
sub-forest
in rainy Mediterranean habitats. According to the
literature,
M. communis is sensitive to low
temperatures
, and therefore is most common along the eastern Mediterranean coast and along the Black Sea. However,
this characterization of
M. communis
does not explain its distribution in the eastern Upper Galilee
and on the
 slopes
of Mount Hermon, which has led some people to believe that the species is feral
in these areas
.  Nevertheless, its distribution in the dry and mountainous regions of Iran and Pakistan supports
the
 view
that
 this is a case of natural
relictual distribution in
two ecosystems with different climates.

·        
Myrtus
communis
shrubs are burned prior
to the
holiday of Sukkot and consequently sprout new
branches
 with whorls
of three
leaves, which are in demand in the religious Jewish market. Some people believe that
this is the
main reason for
the
decrease of M. communis in Israel.

·        
There
are
 49 sites
in which
M. communis
grows
that have been recorded in northern Israel. There is no information whether the number of sites has
decreased
 since the state was established.

·        
Most sites
are located
 outside nature reserves and cutting and picking of the
branches occurs before Sukkot
.

Cutting branches
and burning of Myrtus communis on natural sites before
Sukkot
should be forbidden
. Action should be taken to prevent hybridization with cultured strains, and to ensure that the plants used for gardening are only from natural origins in Israel.

Myrtus
communis
is found mainly in the Mediterranean countries, penetrating
east to Iran and Pakistan.

Myrtus communis
is the only natural
representative of the Myrtaceae in Israel
, and represents the remnants of the Paleo-Mediterranean tropical plants that were
dominant in the
Miocene. Therefore, it has a great biogeographic importance.
It is also a
 peripheral species,
which grows only in northern Israel and is protected by law. The species is threatened by traditional
picking for
 the Sukkot festival.

פז,ע.1998. הרואה הדס בחלום. הדס והאמונות סביבו, טבע וארץ 31: 14-17.

name of participantsBased on: "The Red Book of Israeli Plants - Threatened Plants in Israel" by Prof. Avi Shmida, Dr. Gadi Pollack and Dr. Ori Fragman-Sapir

Current Occupancy Map

Current occupancy map for observations per pixel
1000 squre meter pixel 5000 squre meter pixel 10000 squre meter pixel
number of observations 0 0 0
in total pixels 0 0 0

FamilyMyrtaceae
ClassificationOn the endangered species list
EcosystemMediterranean
ChorotypeMediterranean (Western – Irano – Turanian)
Conservation SiteMount Akbera above En Hadas

Rarity
1
1
6
Vulnerability
0
2
4
Attractiveness
0
4
4
Endemism
0
0
4
Red number
1
4.2
10
Peripherality N
IUCN category DD EW EX LC CR EN VU NT
Threat Definition according to the red book Endangered
5 (5) districts
Disjunctiveness: Medium
40.8% of protected sites

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