Luma chequen, the white Chilean myrtle, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Luma in the family Myrtaceae, native to the central Andes mountains between Chile and Argentina, at latitudes located 30 to 41° South. Synonyms include Eugenia chequen Molina, Myrtus chequen (Molina) Spreng., and Luma gayana (Barn.) Burret. Common names in Spanish include chequén, huillipeta, and arrayán blanco (white myrtle).
It is a shrub (rarely a small tree) growing to 9 m tall, with dull grey-brown bark (unlike the smooth red bark of the related Luma apiculata). It is evergreen, with small fragrant oval leaves 0.5-2.5 cm long and 0.3-1.5 cm broad, and white flowers in early to mid summer. Its fruit is an edible dark purple berry 1 cm in diameter, ripe in early autumn.
It has been introduced as ornamental in the North Pacific Coast of the United States.
Etymology Luma is a derivation of a vernacular Chilean name for this species.Gledhill, David (2008). "The Names of Plants". Cambridge University Press. (hardback), (paperback). pp 243
References
Luma chequen in Encyclopedia of the Chilean Flora Luma chequen in Chilebosque