Bog myrtle
(Myrica gale)
Bog Myrtle is more common in the Highlands than further south. But it does grow sporadically in the central belt in the right conditions and some of those can be found around Killearn.
It’s a perennial deciduous shrub with distinctive red-brown twigs and oval buds which turn into flowers and narrow green leaves in May. Its roots have nitrogen-fixing nodules from bacteria, which help it survive in nitrogen-poor conditions and enrich the soil for other plants.
Fascinating fact:
Rubbing or crushing the leaves and fruit of Bog Myrtle produces a sweet-smelling oil that some folk say repels insects.
Bog Myrtle can grow as high as two metres if it’s not nibbled by deer but most plants are less than a metre tall. As well as bogs, it likes wet heathland where the soil is acidic, and often grows near birch trees. In Scotland it mainly reproduces by suckering, with special roots producing new plants. It’s also known as Sweet Gale.
Did you know
Bog Myrtle offers food and shelter to many insect larvae. Its guests include the caterpillars of some scarce and very localised Scottish moths, such as Argent and Sable and Rannoch Brindled Beauty.