Identifying characteristics:
A genus of interesting, aromatic, multistemmed shrubs or small trees. Five
species occur in Canada and the US. Leaves
are simple, alternate and entire, or toothed near the apex. Characteristic
minute, yellowish or black resin glands occur on the lower surface (and
on the upper surface, in some), visible as dots with a hand lens. Most species
are evergreen, but some, like the Northern bayberry (M. pensylvanica),
are tardily deciduous. Male and female flowers
of this family usually occur on separate plants. The male flowers are
small, apetalous, and clustered in elongated catkins. The tiny, inconspicuous,
female flowers are clustered in groups of 2 to 4. The fruits
are small and rounded, covered with numerous irregular projections and a
conspicuous waxy covering.
Ecology:
Distribution: This genus is widely distributed in temperate and warm
climates. In the US, the Pacific bayberry (M. californica) occurs
only in California; the odorless bayberry (M. indorata) in the Gulf
coastal area; and the southern bayberry (M. cerifera), the evergreen
bayberry (M. heterophylla), and the northern bayberry (M. pensylvanica)
are all widespread along the coastal plain of the eastern and southeastern
US. The northern bayberry (M. pensylvanica) grows further north than
all other native species.
Habitat: Some bayberries tolerate dry, sterile, sandy, soils; others thrive in acid bogs. These adaptable plants are often used for erosion control to hold the soil and enrich it by fixing nitrogen through nodules on the roots. Pests and diseases are not problematic in Iowa, although the southern bayberry (M. cerifera) has become susceptible to leaf anthracnose in recent years. A leaf distortion disease caused by an insect mite has also been reported in Florida.
Uses:
Wood: When the ripe fruits are placed in a bucket of boiling water,
the wax floats to the surface and can be collected for making fragrant bayberry
candles and soap. The northern bayberry (M. pensylvanica) is usually
used for this purpose.
Wildlife: The fruits (and buds) are eaten by various kinds of wildlife, especially birds, such as tree swallows, myrtle warblers and catbirds. White-tailed deer browse the leaves and young twigs.
Horticulture: Bayberries are used in landscaping for their attractive, mostly evergreen foliage. The Pacific bayberry (M. californica) is a hardy evergreen shrub or, occasionally, a small tree to 30 feet. Leaves are yellow-green, with black dots on the underside. Leaves are less aromatic than other species. In this species, flowers of both sexes occur on the same plant, and the fruit is dark purple and waxy. The southern bayberry (M. cerifera) is a tall, upright shrub or small tree to 40 feet. The leaves are dotted with small, black glands above and orange glands below. The gray, waxy fruits are produced without stalks (sessile) on the previous year's growth. This species is tolerant of salt spray and damp soils, but defoliates at below zero temperatures. The Northern bayberry (M. pensylvanica) is a bushy shrub to 6 feet, spreading to form colonies by suckering. It has dark green, leathery, pubescent leaves, with resin dots on the lower surface. It has white buds on gray, pubescent twigs and bears tiny, grayish, waxy fruits in winter. It is hardy from zone 3 to 6, and is an excellent maritime plant, good for dry, arid conditions and highway plantings.
