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Myrtaceae
Saharan Myrtle
Myrtus nivellei
Survival against all odds.
- Family
- Myrtaceae
- Genus
- Myrtus
- Native to
- Algeria, Chad, Sahara region
- Bloom season
- Spring
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 3-10 ft
- Sunlight
- full sun
- Soil
- rocky, well-drained
- Water
- low
- Hardiness
- 9-11
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- It is one of the rarest plants in the Sahara, surviving only in isolated mountain massifs like the Tassili n'Ajjer and Tibesti.
- It is a relic species from when the Sahara was green and forested, roughly 5,000-10,000 years ago.
- The aromatic leaves and berries are used by Tuareg peoples for tea and traditional remedies.
- It can survive in crevices of bare rock where virtually no other woody plant can grow, accessing deep groundwater.
- Its continued existence in the world's largest hot desert makes it a symbol of botanical resilience and climate history.
Color meanings
0
survival
1
enduring beauty
2
hope in barren places