Other names for the rose myrtle (Rhodomyrtus tomentosa) include renzi, shanren, gangren and shanru.

Other names: renzi, shanren, gangren, commonly known as "shanru"

Morphological characteristics:

The plant is short, 1-2 m tall, with opposite leaves and short petioles, 4-6 mm; leaves are leathery, elliptical or obovate, 3-6 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, with a blunt apex and a wedge-shaped base, dark green and hairless on the surface, grayish-green and densely covered with down on the underside. Cymes are axillary, with 1-3 flowers about 2 cm in diameter, in red, pink, white, http://www.cnefs.com">rose red, shaped like plum blossoms, covering the hillsides and fields in brilliant color. Young branches are often red and densely covered with soft hairs. It bears purple berries; the berries are spherical or ovoid, covering the branches, up to 1.4 cm in diameter, with persistent sepals at the top, shaped like nipples, sweet and edible. The flowering period is May-July, and the fruiting period is July-September.

Medicinal value:

The functions of the rose myrtle include nourishing the blood, stopping bleeding, and astringing the intestines to secure essence. Not only are its fruits rich in nutritional value, but its roots can also be used as medicine; the medicinal nature is neutral, the taste is sweet and astringent, and it activates blood circulation and dredges collaterals, astringes and stops diarrhea, and is mainly used to treat rheumatic bone pain and waist pain; its leaves also have medicinal value. When I was little, whenever a family member had diarrhea, my mother would go up the mountain to pick rose myrtle leaves and boil them in water to drink as herbal tea, and the effect was quite good.

The rose myrtle shrub is very common in the mountains and wilds of Guangdong and Fujian. Its leaves are opposite, and in summer it produces pale red flowers that are very beautiful. After flowering, it bears round purple fruits like pomegranates. It has another name, called "wangnianzi" in the Guangdong dialect. Between summer and autumn it bears seeds like small pomegranates, with a turquoise and deep red color, purple juice, and a sweet taste. Herd boys often pick them to eat, but they are rarely seen on the market.

There are also the common rose apple, and the wax apple (locally called fangui rose apple), which are also plants of the Myrtaceae family.