Common Name: Macqui

General Information

Aristotelia chilensis is an evergreen, spreading shrub that usually grows 2 - 5 metres tall, sometimes attaining 10 metres in the wild with a trunk up to 40cm in diameter[, ].
The plant is a very popular wild food, commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a food, colouring and a medicine. Within its native range it is often cultivated on a garden scale for its fruit which is commonly sold in local markets, both as a food and as a material for making natural colourings. The plant has been recommended for commercial cultivation; it is also sometimes grown as an ornamental; and has potential for use as a pioneer for re-establishing native woodland.
Widely grown as an ornamental, the plant was introduced into the Juan Fernández Islands and has since invaded native areas, becoming established and crowding out native species[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

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Range

S. America - Chile, Argentina

Habitat

A weedy shrub of cleared forests and waste ground, growing in damp humus rich soils on lower mountain hillsides by rivers between latitudes 31 and 40° south[].

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	3.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Ornamental, Wild

Cultivation Details

Aristotelia chilensis has a wide latitudinal range (between 31 and 40° south) in Chile, where it is found growing in arid areas (though generally seeking moister locations such as ravines) and also in regions with year-round rainfall[]. The plants is only cold hardy in the milder and moister areas of the temperate zone, tolerating temperatures down to around -10°c[, ]. The fruits are freely produced in S.W. England[]. There is a very good plant at Rosehill near Falmouth[].
Tolerant to a range of soil types[], it prefers a slightly acid, moderately fertile well-drained soil in full sun with shelter from cold drying winds[]. Plants are fairly tolerant of maritime exposure[].
Plants can be cut back to the ground in severe winters - however it will usually resprout freely from the base in the spring[]. Sometimes a crowd of vigorous shoots will be produced and these will need thinning[]. These new shoots will not flower and fruit until their second year of growth so the plant needs to be grown in mild areas if fruit is required[].
A single, well-grown plant can produce up to 10 kilos of fruits per year on an average after seven years[]..
The flowers are very attractive to bees[].
A dioecious species - both male and female forms must be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or dried for winter use[, , , , ]. A pleasant taste somewhat like bilberries[]. Sweet and refreshing, with a slight astringency[]. A popular drink, 'chicha de maqui' is highly esteemed as a healthful beverage - it is nonfermented; the fruit is simply mashed and mixed with water and the liquid drawn off and drunk[]. The purplish to black fruit is rather small, about 6mm in diameter[, ].

The fruit is rich in anthocyanins which yield a purple colour - it is used on a commercial scale to make a natural food colouring[]. The fruits are dipped in boiling water to loosen the skin, before being dried, ground into a powder, extracted and pressed. It is exported in this form as a raw material for the production of natural colourings[].

Medicinal

A wine made from the fruit is said to have medicinal properties[].

The leaves are analgesic, astringent, febrifuge. They have been shown to have a relaxing action on muscular fibres. An infusion is used as a gargle in the treatment of throat complaints and tonsil inflammation, and is taken internally to treat intestinal tumours, diarrhoea etc[, ].
A poultice of the leaves, placed over the kidneys, is said to be an effective treatment to calm fevers[].
The juice of the leaves is a splendid remedy for throat diseases and ulcers and has a fame for healing wounds[]
Externally, a leaf infusion is used to wash mouth ulcers, burns etc[]. The dried and powdered leaves are used to make an ointment for healing cuts, wounds etc[].

The fruit, being a quick, mild acid, and astringent, is often used as a refreshing drink in the sick room and is especially efficacious in fevers[]. When toasted and ground or broken and then put into hot water, it is a sure remedy against the worst cases of diarrhoea, dysentery, and cholera[, ].
The fruit is rich in anthocyanins[].

Agroforestry Uses:

In its native range, the plant is a common, weedy shrub of cleared forest and waste places[]. This suggests strongly that the plant would make a very good pioneer species for restoring native woodland and also for establishing a woodland garden[].

Other Uses

The fruit is used on a commercial scale to make a natural colouring[].

The bark of the new wood is very flexible and is used for making lassos and ropes for use about the farm; also for tying in the vineyards. The ties are strong and last a long time if dampened before using[].

The wood of this tree is considered to be the most sonorous of all in the vegetable kingdom; elegant and resonant guitars are made from it[].

Propagation

Seed - sow spring in a greenhouse. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for at least their first winter. Once the plants are at least 20cm tall, plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts. Consider giving them some protection from the cold for at least their first winter outdoors.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame[].
Cuttings of mature wood of the current season's growth in early winter[]. Take cuttings 15 - 30cm long and plant them in pots or the open soil in a greenhouse. They normally root very easily and can be potted up in early summer then planted out late the following spring[].