Wetland Designation: FACW, Facultative wetland, it usually occurs in wetlands but occasionally occurs in non-wetlands.ĭiagnostic Characters: The leaves of Pacific Wax Myrtle are a bright, glossy green with black dots, pleasantly aromatic, pointed at the tip, with occasional teeth along the margins. Habitat: It flourishes near the coast, along streams and on sand dunes. G rowth: It grows at a moderate rate to 10-30 feet (3-10m) tall and wide, growing the tallest away from fierce sea winds. As a result, you should not plant Wax Myrtle within the defensible zone around your home.Distribution of Pacific Wax Myrtle from USDA Plants Databaseĭistribution: Pacific Wax Myrtle is found along the Pacific coast from Gray’s Harbor, Washington to southern California, with an isolated population on Vancouver Island. Please note: Wax Myrtle has a high flammability fire risk rating - the leaves, stems, and branches contain flammable aromatic compounds. Wax Myrtle pairs well with Cabbage Palm ( Sabal palmetto), Dahoon Holly ( Ilex cassine), Sawgrass ( Cladium jamaicensis), Muhly Grass ( Muhlenbergia capillaris), Beard Grass ( Andropogon virginicus), Saltbush ( Baccharis halimifolia), and Myrsine ( Myrsine cubana). (For more examples, please search this database.) Modern medicine recently demonstrated that Wax Myrtle has compounds that exhibit cytotoxic activities against leukemia, lung and breast cancer cell lines.
Micmac used roots to treat inflammations. Koasati used a root decoction to treat stomachaches. As examples, Choctaw used a decoction of leaves and stems to treat fevers and a decoction of roots to treat inflamed roots. Native peoples used various parts of the plant for medicinal purposes. Leaves can also be used to flavor soups and stews and to make tea. Berries are edible and leaves are purported to make an excellent insect repellant. Wax Myrtle berries have been used for hundreds of years to make bayberry candles, soaps, and sealing wax. Additionally, Wax Myrtle is a caterpillar food source for Red-banded Hairstreaks, Bayberry Leaftier Moths, Cecropia Moths, Io Moths, Polyphemus Moths, and the Little Wife Underwing Moths. Its seeds are an important food for tree sparrows and Carolina wrens. Its silvery-gray fruit is an energy-rich food source for more than 40 species of birds, including the Northern Bobwhite, Wild Turkey, and the Yellow-rumped (“Myrtle”) Warbler in the late fall and winter. This plant’s tiny, fragrant white flowers provide nectar for bees and butterflies in spring.
Wax myrtle bush full#
(Plants grown in full sun will be denser than those grown in shade.) It can also tolerate some salt-spray, hurricane-strength winds, soil moisture levels that range from very wet to very dry (once established) and shade.
Wax Myrtle consequently tolerates poor soils extremely well. The plant is symbiotic with bacteria that fixes nitrogen from air. The shrub is clonal and spreads via underground runners in its native habitats, In landscaped areas, Wax Myrtle can be pruned and maintained as a privacy hedge.
Found along the Coastal Plain from southern New Jersey to Florida and west along the Gulf Coastal Plain to eastern Texas and southeast Oklahoma, Wax Myrtle is an early successional species that is highly adaptable to a range of conditions: it can be found growing in fresh to slightly brackish banks and shores pine flatwoods marshes wet prairies hammocks swamps and dry xeric uplands. Wax Myrtle ( Morella cerifera) is an erect, multi-trunked evergreen understory shrub.
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