Practical
Plants

Aristotelia chilensis

Macqui

a perennial woody evergreen member of the Aristotelia genus in the family Elaeocarpaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Life cycle
perennial
Foliage
evergreen
Woodiness
woody
Height
3 m
Spread
5 m
Fertility
Self sterile, Bees, Insects
Flower type
dioecious
Pollinators
Bees, Insects

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Fruit - raw or dried for winter use[2][8][9][11][12]. A pleasant taste somewhat like bilberries[5]. The fruit is rather small, about 6mm in diameter[6].

Plant part
Fruit

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A wine made from the fruit is said to have medicinal properties[2]. The plant (the exact part is not specified) is astringent, febrifuge and poultice. It is used in the treatment of throat infections and intestinal tumours[3].

Product or use
Astringent
Product or use
Febrifuge
Product or use
Poultice

Environment

Range
S. America - Chile, Argentina.
Habitat
A weedy shrub of cleared forests and waste ground, growing in damp humus rich soils on lower mountain hillsides by rivers between latitudes 31 and 40° south[3].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Hardiness
Zone 8+
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Once the plants are at least 20cm tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame[2]. Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth in early winter[1]. Take cuttings 15 - 30cm long and plant them in pots or the open soil in a greenhouse. They normally root very easily and can be potted up in early summer then planted out late the following spring[K].

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Prefers a slightly acid, moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from cold drying winds[6]. Plants are fairly tolerant of maritime exposure[K]. This species is only hardy in the milder and moister areas of Britain[4] and even there can be cut back in severe winters[K]. If the plants are cut back by winter frosts, they normally put up a crowd of vigorous shoots in the spring and these will need thinning[7]. The fruits are freely produced in S.W. England[2]. There is a very good plant at Rosehill near Falmouth[10]. The flowers are very attractive to bees[10]. Dioecious. Male and female plants must be grown if seed is required[4].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

    ↩

  2. Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981-00-00

    ↩1↩2↩3↩4

  3. ? Flora of Chile. (in Spanish)

    ↩1↩2

  4. Thomas. G. S. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-7195-5043-2

    ↩1↩2

  5. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

    ↩

  6. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  7. Grey-Wilson. C. & Matthews. V. Gardening on Walls Collins 1983-00-00 ISBN 0-00-219220-0

    ↩

  8. Sholto-Douglas. J. Alternative Foods.

    ↩

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

    ↩

  10. Thurston. Trees and Shrubs in Cornwall.

    ↩1↩2

  11. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

    ↩

  12. Towle. M. A. The Ethno-Botany of Pre-Columbian Peru.

    ↩

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