Morella cerifera

Morella cerfiera
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Tracheophyta- Vascular plants
Class:	Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Myricaceae
Genus:	Morella
Species:	M. cerfiera
Binomial name
Morella cerfiera (L.) Small
Natural range of Morella cerfiera from USDA NRCS Plants Database.

Common names: Waxmyrtle, Southern Bayberry

Synonyms: Myrica cerifera L.; Morella pumila

Description

"Dioecious or monoecious shrubs or small trees, with brown to brownish-black, pubescent to glabrate twigs. Leaves deciduous or semi-evergreen, coriaceous, petiolate, exstipulate. Staminate catkins ovoid-cylindric, 0.6-2 cm long, 4-6 mm in diam.; bracteate and bracteolate; stamens 2-1, mostly 2-5. Pistillate catkins ovoid or cylindric, 5-10 mm long, deciduous-bracteate. Fruits drupaceous, white, globose, verrucose, 2.5-7 mm in diam. A taxonomically difficult group with intergrading species." - Radford et al 1964

"Shrub or small tree, 0.3-7 m tall. Leaves oblanceolate or elliptic, to 8 cm long and 2cm wide, heavily resinous on both surfaces, usually pubescent beneath, acute or obtuse, serrate or entire, base cuneate to attenuate, petoiles to 1 cm long. Fruits 2.5-3.5 mm in diam." - Radford et al 1964

Distribution

Is found within the Coastal Plain and as far north as New Jersey (Weakley 2015).

Ecology

Habitat

Is naturally found in interdune swales, pocosins, brackish marshes, and other wet to moist habitats (Weakley 2015). Is widely planted as an ornamental or as a landscaping shrub (Weakley 2015).

Phenology

Flowers in April, and also from August to October (Weakley 2015).

References and notes

Radford, Albert E., Harry E. Ahles, and C. Ritchie Bell. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas. 1964, 1968. The University of North Carolina Press. 360. Print.

Weakley, Alan S. Flora of the Southern and Mid-Atlantic States: Working Draft of 21 May 2015. University of North Carolina Herbarium (NCU). PDF. 644.