Morella pensylvanica
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Photos courtesy Renee Brecht |
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| Botanical name: | Morella pensylvanica |
| Common name: | northern bayberry |
| Synonomy: | Cerothamnus caroliniensis Myrica caroliniensis Myrica heterophylla |
| Group: | dicot |
| Family: | Myricaceae |
| Growth type: | tree; shrub |
| Duration: | perennial |
| Origin: | native |
| Plant height: | 10' |
| Foliage: | leaves dull above |
| Flower: | very small, greenish-white |
| Flowering time: | bloom early May to June; fruits early July to late August, persisting to winter |
| Habitat: | low dry to wet sterile or sandy ground of swamps, dunes, shaded woods edges |
| Range in New Jersey: | statewide; most abundant on the coastal strip |
| Heritage ranking, if any: | n/a |
| Distribution: |  |
| Misc. | waxy, gray berries have a very strong, aromatic scent. The underside of the leaf has yellow resin glands which can be seen with a hand lens. Used by early European settlers for a source of wax to make candles. |