Flora of North America species comparison

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Myrica

Myrica hartwegii

bayberry, myrique, sweet gale, wax-myrtle

mountain wax myrtle, Sierra bayberry, Sierra sweet-bay
Habit Shrubs or small trees, often aromatic and resinous. Shrubs, deciduous, to 1.8 m.
Branches

spreading, terete, glabrous or pubescent, often gland-dotted.

Branchlets

purple-black, gland-dotted, glands yellow.
Leaves

blade aromatic when crushed (except M. inodora), oblanceolate, elliptic, obovate, or oblong-ovate, membranous or leathery, margins entire or serrate-denticulate, especially in distal 1/2, pubescent or glabrous, usually gland-dotted.

blade oblanceolate to elliptic, 3.2-10.4 × 1-3.4 cm, membranous, base attenuate to cuneate, margins serrate, often coarsely so, with 4-12 pairs of teeth in ± distal 1/2 of blade, rarely entire, apex acute to occasionally obtuse;

surfaces abaxially pale green, pilose, adaxially dark green, pilose, often glabrate, both surfaces gland-dotted, density quite variable;

glands yellow to orange.
Inflorescences

± erect, ellipsoid to short-cylindric or ovoid, appearing before or with leaves;

bracts ovate, glabrous or variously pubescent.

staminate 0.8-2.6 cm;

pistillate 3-6 mm at anthesis, enlarging to 2 cm in fruit.
Flowers

unisexual, rarely bisexual, staminate and pistillate flowers usually on different plants, infrequently on same plants.

unisexual, staminate and pistillate on different plants.
Staminate flowers

stamens (2-)3-12(-22), shorter or longer than subtending bract;

filaments mostly distinct, often connate into branching staminal column, each branch terminated by anther;

rudimentary ovary occasionally present.

bract of flower longer than stamens, gland-dotted at base, distal margins transparent, occasionally ciliate;

stamens 3-5.
Pistillate flowers

ovary subtended by 2-6 broadly ovate bracteoles, these sometimes persistent and accrescent, always shorter than fruit, sometimes completely absent;

styles short.

bracteoles 2, accrescent and adnate to base of fruit wall, laterally compressed, densely pilose with some hairs persistent, especially toward apex, glandular;

ovary glabrous.
Fruits

globose or ovoid to lenticular, smooth or more commonly with warty protuberances, usually covered with waxy coating that dries white.

ovoid, flattened, 1.5-2.5 mm;

fruit wall smooth, without waxy deposits, enclosed by spongy bracteoles.
x

= 8.

Myrica

Myrica hartwegii
Phenology Flowering spring–summer, fruiting in summer.
Habitat Borders of streams
Elevation 250-1800 m [800-5900 ft]
Distribution
map from USDA
Nearly worldwide
[BONAP county map]
map from FNA
CA
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Species ca. 50 (7 in the flora).

Myrica is often cultivated. Myrica species were used by various tribes of Native Americans for medicinal purposes. Leaves were used for a gynecological aid and an emetic; the bark, as a blood purifier and a kidney aid (D. E. Moerman 1986). Bayberry candles were used by early settlers, and they remain popular household items, both decorative and functional.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Myrica hartwegii is endemic to the northern and central Sierra Nevada of California.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
Parent taxa Myricaceae Myricaceae > Myrica
Sibling taxa
M. californica, M. cerifera, M. gale, M. heterophylla, M. inodora, M. pensylvanica
Subordinate taxa
M. californica, M. cerifera, M. gale, M. hartwegii, M. heterophylla, M. inodora, M. pensylvanica
Key
1. Bracts of staminate flowers longer than stamens; bracteoles of pistillate flowers 2, accrescent and adnate to fruit; fruits smooth (without protuberances), lacking waxy deposit (subg. Myrica).
→ 2
1. Bracts of staminate flowers shorter than stamens; bracteoles of pistillate flowers 4–6, not accrescent or adnate to fruit; fruits with numerous protuberances, usually covered with waxy coating that dries white or blue-white to gray (subg. Morella Loureiro).
→ 3
2. Bracteoles of pistillate flowers glabrous; leaf margins serrate, usually minutely so, with 1–4 pairs of teeth restricted to distal 1/3 of blade; not extending s of Oregon in w part of range.
M. gale
2. Bracteoles of pistillate flowers densely pilose, especially at apex; leaf margins serrate, often coarsely so, with 4–12 pairs of teeth ± in distal 1/2 of blade; California only.
M. hartwegii
3. Staminate flowers with 6 or more stamens, rarely 2–3, especially in distal flowers; fruit wall, but not warty protuberances, pubescent.
→ 4
3. Staminate flowers with 3–5(–7) stamens; fruit wall usually glabrous, if pubescent, warty protuberances also pubescent.
→ 5
4. Margins of leaf blade entire, rarely serrate at apex; blade not aromatic when crushed; flowers unisexual, staminate and pistillate on different plants; restricted to Gulf Coast region.
M. inodora
4. Margins of leaf blade conspicuously serrate almost their entire length; blade fragrant when crushed; flowers bisexual, staminate, and pistillate, all on same plant; Pacific Coast region.
M. californica
5. Leaf blade densely glandular on both surfaces.
M. cerifera
5. Leaf blade densely glandular only abaxially.
→ 6
6. Fruit wall and warty protuberances densely hirsute when young; branches whitish gray in age; leaves deciduous, membranous; fruits 3.5–5.5 mm.
M. pensylvanica
6. Fruit wall glabrous or sparsely glandular, warty protuberances ± glandular; branches black; leaves persistent or tardily deciduous, leathery; fruits 3–4.5 mm.
M. heterophylla
Synonyms Cerothamnus, Gale, Morella Gale hartwegii
Name authority Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 2: 1024. 175: Gen. Pl. ed. 5, 449. (1754) S. Watson: Proc. Amer. Acad. Arts 10: 350. (1875)
Source FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Allan J. Bornstein. FNA vol. 3. Treatment author: Allan J. Bornstein.
Web links 
Unless otherwise noted, all data comes from the online version of the Flora of North America, who have made most of their content available via a Creative Commons license (CC BY 4.0).



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