Myrtus nivellei Batt. & Trab.
Eng.: Saharan myrtle. Spa.: Mirto sahariano. Fre.: Myrte du Sahara. Ara.: Rihane el Sahra. Tamahaq: Tafeltest, tafiltast, tafaltasset.
Shrub, evergreen, 50-120 cm in height, with rugose bark. Leaves opposite, very narrow (8-30 × 6.1 mm), linear-lanceolate, sessile, glabrous, 4-5 cm long, 6-8 times longer than wide, with 1 visible central vein, with numerous black glandular spots on the underside. Flowers solitary, on leaf axils, smaller than M. communis, 7-8 mm, white and slightly pink on the exterior, very fragrant, provided with 2 linear bracts as long as the calyx. Petals 5. Stamens very numerous. Ovary inferior, shaped as an inverted cone, with 5 short teeth forming a crown at the top, with 2 styles. Fruit a globose berry 4-5 mm.
Flowering:
After rainfall, usually between January and March.
Fruiting:
1-2 months later.
Habitat:
Valleys, cracks in the rocks, scree slopes and generally in areas of higher humidity in mountainous areas where it grows, 150-2,000 m above sea level.
Distribution:
Endemic to the mountain ranges of central Sahara. In Argelia (Mouydir, Tefedest, Tassili-n-Ajjer, Tassili-n-Immidir and Ahaggar), Libya (Akakus), and Chad (Tibesti). Some evidence has been found for its presence in the Air Massif (Niger) relatively recently (during the Holocene).
Conservation status:
Rare species and with a small distribution area. Currently, it has not been assessed at a global level in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, but when evaluated it will probably be cataloged within a threat category. In Algeria it is included in its List of protected non cultivated flora (Executive Decree 12-03 on 4-Jan-2012).