NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details
Morella cerifera [= Myrica cerifera, = Myrica cerifera var. cerifera]
Common Wax-myrtle
Scientific Name: |
Morella cerifera [= Myrica cerifera, = Myrica cerifera var. cerifera] |
---|---|
Genus: |
Morella |
Species Epithet: |
cerifera |
Common Name: |
Common Wax-myrtle |
Plant Type |
Shrub |
Life Cycle |
Perennial |
Plant Family |
Myricaceae (Bayberry Family) |
Native/Alien: |
NC Native |
Size: |
12-36 ft. |
Bloom Color(s): |
Green |
Light: |
Sun - 6 or more hours of sun per day, Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day |
Soil Moisture: |
Moist, Wet |
Bloom Time: |
April |
Growing Area: |
Mountains, Piedmont, Sandhills, Coastal Plain |
Habitat Description: |
“Interdune swales (where often dominant), pocosins, brackish marshes, other wet to moist habitats, now also widely planted (including in the Piedmont) as an ornamental or landscaping shrub” (Weakley 2015). Common in NC Coastal Plain; a rare escape from cultivation in the Mountains and Piedmont. |
Leaf Arrangement: |
Alternate |
Leaf Retention: |
Evergreen |
Leaf Type: |
Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like |
Leaf Form: |
Simple |
Life Cycle: |
Perennial |
Wildlife Value: |
Important for Wildlife |
Landscape Value: |
Recommended and Available |
State Rank: |
S5: Secure (*Key) |
Global Rank: |
G5 - Secure (*Key) |
Notes: |
"...This popular evergreen ornamental is used for screens, hedges, landscaping, wetland gardens, habitat restoration, and as a source of honey. Essentially a shrub, it serves as an excellent screen plant, with both standard and dwarf varieties available. Because there are separate male and female plants, if you want berries you must have male plants close enough to the berry-producing female plants for pollination to occur. The leaves are aromatic, with an appealing, piquant fragrance when crushed. Colonists separated the fruits waxy covering in boiling water to make fragrant-burning candles, a custom still followed in some countries." Ladybird Johnson Wildflower Center |
Paynter, 2011 |
|
Wilmington, January 2012 |
|
Bettina Darveaux |
|
Links: |
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