Hypertext Webster Gateway: "myrtle"
From Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary (easton)
Myrtle
(Isa. 41:19; Neh. 8:15; Zech. 1:8), Hebrew hadas, known in the
East by the name _as_, the Myrtus communis of the botanist.
"Although no myrtles are now found on the mount (of Olives),
excepting in the gardens, yet they still exist in many of the
glens about Jerusalem, where we have often seen its dark shining
leaves and white flowers. There are many near Bethlehem and
about Hebron, especially near Dewir Dan, the ancient Debir. It
also sheds its fragrance on the sides of Carmel and of Tabor,
and fringes the clefts of the Leontes in its course through
Galilee. We meet with it all through Central Palestine"
(Tristram).
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Myrtle \Myr"tle\ (m[~e]r"t'l), n. [F. myrtil bilberry, prop., a
little myrtle, from myrte myrtle, L. myrtus, murtus, Gr.
my`rtos; cf. Per. m[=u]rd.] (Bot.)
A species of the genus {Myrtus}, especially {Myrtus
communis}. The common myrtle has a shrubby, upright stem,
eight or ten feet high. Its branches form a close, full head,
thickly covered with ovate or lanceolate evergreen leaves. It
has solitary axillary white or rosy flowers, followed by
black several-seeded berries. The ancients considered it
sacred to Venus. The flowers, leaves, and berries are used
variously in perfumery and as a condiment, and the
beautifully mottled wood is used in turning.
Note: The name is also popularly but wrongly applied in
America to two creeping plants, the blue-flowered
periwinkle and the yellow-flowered moneywort. In the
West Indies several myrtaceous shrubs are called
myrtle.
{Bog myrtle}, the sweet gale.
{Crape myrtle}. See under {Crape}.
{Myrtle warbler} (Zo["o]l.), a North American wood warbler
({Dendroica coronata}); -- called also {myrtle bird},
{yellow-rumped warbler}, and {yellow-crowned warbler}.
{Myrtle wax}. (Bot.) See {Bayberry tallow}, under {Bayberry}.
{Sand myrtle}, a low, branching evergreen shrub ({Leiophyllum
buxifolium}), growing in New Jersey and southward.
{Wax myrtle} ({Myrica cerifera}). See {Bayberry}.
From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) (web1913)
Periwinkle \Per"i*win`kle\, n. [OE. pervenke, AS. pervince, fr.
L. pervinca.] (Bot.)
A trailing herb of the genus {Vinca}.
Note: The common perwinkle ({Vinca minor}) has opposite
evergreen leaves and solitary blue or white flowers in
their axils. In America it is often miscalled {myrtle}.
See under {Myrtle}.
From WordNet (r) 1.7 (wn)
myrtle
n 1: widely cultivated as a groundcover for its dark green shiny
leaves and usually blue-violet flowers [syn: {Vinca
minor}]
2: any evergreen shrub or tree of the genus Myrtus
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