Arrayan fruit
Also called Chilean myrtleLuma apiculata · Myrtaceae family
A Chilean myrtle with dark fruit and taste descriptions that vary depending on who's tasting.
Find it near DetroitGet to know it
Arrayán is the dark, sweet fruit of the Chilean myrtle, Luma apiculata. Its fragrance echoes the scent of the tree's crushed leaves. In Chile's Ñuble cordillera, the autumn berries become juice and chicha, while the tree stands out for its peeling cinnamon-coloured bark.
What it is
The berries range from blue-black to deep purple; in Ñuble, ripe fruit is dark black. Scented white flowers come before the crop. The small leaves grow in opposite pairs and end in a little point. On older plants the cinnamon-coloured bark peels away, revealing creamy white beneath.
Where it comes from
Arrayán is native to Chile and neighbouring Argentina. In Chile's Ñuble cordillera, it grows in damp ravines and beside streams and lakes. Across the Andes, a dense forest of these trees occupies the Quetrihué peninsula in Neuquén, Argentina, within Los Arrayanes National Park.
How it's eaten where it grows
In the Ñuble cordillera, the sweet ripe berries are eaten as fruit or made into juice and chicha. The tree contributes another flavour to local drinks: its aromatic leaves are used to scent mate. The dark fruit is gathered in autumn.
How it's grown
Arrayán keeps its leaves all year. In gardens it grows as a shrub or small tree, and can be clipped into a hedge. It favours humus-rich soil that drains well, in sun or partial shade. At Stanford in California, the trees grow as sprawling shrubs with many trunks.
When and where you'll find it
In the Ñuble cordillera, the fruit usually ripens in autumn, after spring and summer flowers. In the US, the tree also appears in ornamental gardens. Stanford's Chile-themed garden on Campus Drive has six: two beside the monkey puzzle tree and four behind the Chilean wine palms.
Get it near Detroit
What it tastes like
As sweet as a banana, as mild as a peach≈
More about the taste
Accounts of the fruit's flavor vary — some describe it as mildly sweet, others as delicious.
Accounts of the fruit's flavor vary — some describe it as mildly sweet, others as delicious.
The scent of crushed leaves echoes the fragrance of the ripe fruit, though the leaves themselves aren't eaten.
Choose, eat
1ChooseDark black
Look for
- Dark black
In the Ñuble region, ripe arrayán berries are dark black, and are described there as sweet and pleasant.
2EatFruit
Eat
FruitThe fruit is edible.
Detroit, Michigan
When it’s good hereUsual monthsJust arrivedAt their bestLast chanceAll yearWhere it is in its usual monthsToday, Oct 22Grown hereIn season in your stateShips fromIn season where it grows
19 names in 6 languages
- arrayanroot
- TemuFrench
- 尖叶龙袍木Chinese
Strange but trueA record
If you like Arrayan fruit
Tastes alike
Sources
Photos · 1
Sources
Arrayan fruit · Fruitopia · checked Sep 22, 2026