1/15/2024 0 Comments Evergreen wax myrtleWax Myrtle is not only valued for its aesthetic appeal but also for its hardiness and adaptability. Moreover, the plant’s leaves have a rich history of use in traditional medicine and candle-making. The female plants produce clusters of waxy berries that persist through the winter, providing an essential food source for various bird species. Growing rapidly and able to thrive in a variety of soil conditions, Wax Myrtle has become a favored selection for gardeners and landscapers. Native to the southeastern United States, the Wax Myrtle’s aromatic foliage and attractive bluish-white berries have made it a popular choice for hedges, borders, and wildlife gardens. This has given them a large long-term advantage over most of our other warblers and many other birds which make increasingly perilous journeys to winter in the topics, where there is massive habitat destruction.The Wax Myrtle, also known as Southern Wax Myrtle or Southern Bayberry, is a versatile evergreen shrub or small tree that offers an array of attractive features. They are winter residents in our area, able to survive on the fruits of juniper, poison ivy, and these bayberries. Myrtle (Yellow-rumped) Warblers are so named because they are often seen in these shrubs. Early settlers used the fruits of bayberry species as a source of wax for candles and soap. Its leaves are about three times as long as wide, more or less evergreen, but unlike the other two species, not fragrant. It occurs south of the James River, but is rare in the northern Coastal Plain. Pocosin Bayberry, ( Morella caroliniensis) likes the wetter soils in bogs and peaty swamps. The twigs are more or less smooth and the fruits are somewhat larger than those of Wax Myrtle. Larger leaves are about 3 times as long as wide they are deciduous, but hold their leaves into winter. It is a maritime species, common in the outer Coastal Plain on the Eastern Shore and in Virginia Beach city. Northern Bayberry is a shrub, growing to 6 feet, in drier habitats such as dunes and open inland sandy forests. The copious fruits with waxy coverings provide fuel for migrants and fat for over-wintering birds. The evergreen leaves, mostly 4-6 times as long as wide, furnish winter habitat for small mammals and birds. This species is common everywhere in the Coastal Plain. With regular pruning, this dependable native can be an excellent screening hedge. Wax Myrtle, or Southern Bayberry, can be a shrub or even a tall, gangly tree, growing vigorously, and spreading by rhizomes. With proper identification of these species, botanists and ecologists know the nature of the underlying soils.īerries of Morella cerifera, or wax myrtle were once used to add fragrance to candles cerifera) are more tolerant of wet soils than Northern Bayberry, ( M. Marsh-elder is often nearer the water’s edge, providing nesting habitat for birds such as the red-winged blackbird and the marsh wren.īayberries, ( Morella spp.) are a third group of shrubs or small trees often growing at the water’s edge. ![]() They usually grow on upland borders of salt marshes where continuous flooding does not occur, but exceptions can occur where they grow in ditches and canals. Blooming from August through November, the flowers are followed by dark, rounded fruits.īoth plants are members of the Aster Family, related to sunflowers and goldenrods. Tiny nodding, greenish-white flower heads appear along the ends of stems, each accompanied by a small leaf-like bract. Marsh-elder is much-branched, growing to 8 feet, and can be somewhat leggy. The lance-shaped leaves of Marsh-elder are opposite on the stem whereas those of Groundsel Tree are alternate and wedge-shaped. Before the flowers appear, Groundsel Tree and Marsh-elder can be distinguished by their leaves. It grows in freshwater and waters that are brackish, and can colonize roadsides, ditches, old fields and other disturbed areas.Ĭloser to the water’s edge, will be Marsh-elder or Sumpweed, ( Iva frutescens). It can be somewhat weedy, but its roots hold the soil, preventing erosion in wetlands. The wedge-shaped leaves can persist through early winter, long after flowers have faded. ![]() ![]() This tall shrub can grow to 12 feet, with many branches. Groundsel Tree, (Baccharis halimifolia), a female plant in flower, with Painted Lady butterfly
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