EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Enter the Grove of Arrayan

Arrayan (Luma apiculata), Family Myrtaceae
Bariloche, Argentina

Explanation:  Enter the tunnel of arrayans!  

These are evergreen trees growing here in Llao Llao Municipal Park of the town of San Carlos de Bariloche, in Argentina of South America.  Also known as temu, Chilean myrtle, and other names, arrayans are found in many environments, and can grow as shrubs and, as shown here, trees with cinnamon-colored bark.  

    
Left:  Beneath the colored bark, the wood is very white.
Right:  The root system can be quite tangled, holding firm in many soil types.

This is a member of the myrtle family.  

The flowers of arrayan are white and solitary but grow in clusters.

So, the scientific name ... Luma apiculata?  Apparently, the genus name Luma derives from a Chilean name for this species.  And the leaves have very sharp pointed tips, which is why the specific epithet name apiculata means "ending in a sharp point."