Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Rosids: Fabids: Fagales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (11/30/12):
Morella cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
You may also want to check Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of North Carolina
Read more about Common Wax-myrtle at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Morella cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Myrica cerifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 052-03-001a:
Myrica cerifera var. cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
COMMON NAME:
Common Wax-myrtle, Southern Bayberry
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_moce2_002_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_myce_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0502f_08
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
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JK Marlow s050227_i
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
Leaf blades oblanceolate; margins irregularly serrate near tip, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide.
)
JK Marlow s050227_j
February Horry County SC
Myrtle Beach State Park
Leaves distinctly punctate on both surfaces, aromatic when crushed, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide.
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JK Marlow jkm0303m_24
March Pickens County SC
SC Botanical Garden
A taxonomically difficult group with intergrading species, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
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JK Marlow jkm0304h_06
April Beaufort County SC
Hunting Island State Park
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Keith Bradley kab_morella_cerifera_4447
April Sumter County SC
Mill Creek Park
Male flowers in sessile, axillary, dense cylindrical catkins, 6-10mm x 4-6mm, per Trees of the Southeastern United States.
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JK Marlow jkm090516_083
May Charleston County SC
Bark whitish to gray, thin, smooth, with conspicous horizontal lenticels, per Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide.
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JK Marlow jkm0309r_13
September Georgetown County SC
Huntington Beach State Park
Myrtle Beach, SC, gets its name from this plant, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC.
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JK Marlow jkm0309r_24
September Georgetown County SC
Huntington Beach State Park
The berries are covered with wax that was/is used to make fragrant candles, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC.
)
Paul Thompson pstmyrica_cerifera
September?
Leaf shape is oblanceolate; margins are serrate towards the tip. — Clemson Extension
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (11/30/12):
Morella cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Morella cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Myrica cerifera
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 052-03-001a:
Myrica cerifera var. cerifera
FAMILY
Myricaceae
961
Shrub; Tree
Perennial
Dioecious
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Habitat: 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 and persistent or naturalizing in suburban woodlands, per Weakley's Flora
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Evergreen (usually)
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
Unisexual
Sepals absent
Petals absent
Superior ovary
Flowers in catkins
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Waxy gray
Drupe-like
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Forest Plants of the Southeast and Their Wildlife Uses p366?
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South p057
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC p353
- Landscaping with Native Trees p255
- Native Alternatives to Invasive Plants p081
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast p054
- Native Trees of the Southeast, An Identification Guide p246
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia p231
- Trees of the Southeastern United States p206
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry p085
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide p216
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region p072