Northern bayberry

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Morella pensylvanica
NORTHERN BAYBERRY

Myricaceae
N.E. North America

Location: map coordinates T-12 (east side of Claude E. Phillips Herbarium, Washington Building), N 39°11'7'' W 75°32'44''

Planting history: planted November 2010. Source: Go Native Tree Farm, PA. (Dr. S. Yost, USDA NIFA Capacity Building Grant funds).

Description:
  • deciduous shrub (the related southern bayberry is evergreen)
  • formerly Myrica pensylvanica (synonym)
  • leaves and fruits have the familiar scent of bayberry
  • flowers inconspicuous; dioecious (separate male and female plants)
  • fruits thickly coated with waxy white/gray coating, traditionally used to make bayberry candles
  • nitrogen-fixing; unusual for a non-leguminous plant
  • habitat: moist to well-drained soils, especially sandy soils
  • native range Maine to North Carolina

Native species, State Rank S5 (very common in Delaware)
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