Aristotelia chilensis

Aristotelia chilensis
Maqui tree with fruits
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Oxalidales
Family: Elaeocarpaceae
Genus: Aristotelia
Species:
A. chilensis
Binomial name
Aristotelia chilensis
The native area of the rainforest
Synonyms[1]
  • Aristotelia glabra Miers
  • Aristotelia glandulosa Ruiz & Pav.
  • Aristotelia lucida Salisb.
  • Aristotelia macqui L'Hér.
  • Aristotelia macqui var. andina Phil.
  • Beaumaria macqui Deless. ex Steud.

Aristotelia chilensis, known as maqui or Chilean wineberry, is a tree species in the Elaeocarpaceae family native to South America in the Valdivian temperate forests of Chile and adjacent regions of southern Argentina. Limited numbers of these trees are cultivated in gardens for their small edible fruits. Wild-harvested fruits are commercially marketed.

The species has drawn attention for its forensic potential as it is reported to be among the first plants to grow around pig carcasses, which are experimental substitutes for human corpses, in southern Chile.[2]

  1. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference POWO was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Romero-Mieres, Mario; Vivallo, Gabriel; Donoso, Gustavo; Esse, Carlos; Díaz, Ramiro; Francois, Angélica; Solano, Jaime; Ortloff, Alexander; Albornoz, Sandra; Betancour, Oriana; Cofré, Ximena; Valdivia, Margarita; de la Fuente, Juan Carlos; Figueroa, Alejandra; Lizama, Cristián (2016). "Botánica Forense en Chile: El caso de Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz y su potencial utilidad como especie bioindicadora forense" [Forensic Botany in Chile: The case of Aristotelia chilensis (Molina) Stuntz and its potential utility as a forensic bioindicator species]. Gayana. Botánica (in Spanish). 73 (1): 156–160. doi:10.4067/S0717-66432016000100018.