Family: Myrtaceae

Origin, Description & Uses
Luma apiculata, commonly known as Chilean myrtle or arrayán, is a small, slow-growing evergreen tree native to southern Chile and southwestern Argentina. It is prized for its striking ornamental features, including smooth, cinnamon-colored peeling bark, dense glossy foliage, and small white flowers that appear in summer, followed by edible berries. The tree is well suited for gardens and landscapes, where it can be grown as a specimen tree, hedge, or pruned feature plant. In its native range, it is also valued for its very hard wood and occasionally for its fruit.

Risks & Threats
This species is considered low risk, with little evidence of invasive behavior outside its native range. Luma apiculata grows slowly and does not spread aggressively, making it unlikely to escape cultivation or outcompete native vegetation. Although it can reproduce by seed, there are no significant reports of it forming invasive populations in climates similar to Hawaiʻi. With responsible planting and routine monitoring, it poses minimal threat to local ecosystems.

High Risk Traits:

• Naturalized in New Zealand, Ireland, and California
  
• Self-compatible
  
• Shade tolerant
  
• Tolerates a wide range of soil types
  
• Produces viable seeds
  
• Bird-dispersed seeds survive gut passage
  
• Intentionally spread by people (ornamental, edible fruit)
  
• Tolerates pruning and hedging

Low Risk Traits:

• No tropical or subtropical naturalization
  
• No known agricultural or environmental weed status
  
• No spines, thorns, or toxins
  
• No dense thickets
  
• No prolific seed production or persistent seed bank
  
• No wind dispersal
  
• No vegetative fragmentation
  
• Fire-intolerant