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Morella pensylvanica

northern bayberry

Myricaceae Eastern North America

Deer Resistant Drought Tolerant Fragrant (moderate)

Native to North America

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium · drought-tolerant

HardinessZones 3–7

Overview

Morella pensylvanica is a deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub of the bayberry family, native to eastern North America, forming a dense, rounded, often suckering mound 5-10 feet (1.5-3 m) tall and about as wide. The leathery, narrowly oblong leaves are 1.5-4 inches (4-10 cm) long, glossy gray-green, dotted with resin glands, and release a spicy fragrance when crushed. Plants are usually single-sexed: female shrubs bear clusters of small, round, gray-white waxy fruits about 0.15 inch (4 mm) across tightly along the stems, which persist into winter where male plants are nearby for pollination. Roots carry nitrogen-fixing actinomycete nodules that let it grow on poor, sandy, infertile soils. It withstands salt spray, wind, drought, and wet ground, growing on dunes, coastal thickets, old fields, and pond margins. The waxy fruits feed many overwintering birds, and the wax has long been rendered for bayberry candles, though fruit forms only on female plants with a pollinator nearby.

Native Range

Native to eastern North America, chiefly along the Atlantic and Gulf coastal plains from Newfoundland and the Maritimes south to North Carolina, with scattered inland populations around the Great Lakes. It grows on dunes, coastal thickets, sandy barrens, old fields, and the edges of bogs and ponds.

Suggested Uses

Used in coastal and seaside plantings, informal hedges and screens, shrub borders, dune stabilization, and wildlife and rain gardens. Its suckering habit and need for a pollinating partner make it less suited to small, tightly planted beds.

How to Identify

Look for a rounded, suckering shrub 5-10 feet (1.5-3 m) tall with narrow, leathery gray-green leaves that smell spicy when crushed and show tiny resin dots. In late summer and winter, female plants carry clusters of small, round, gray-white waxy berries pressed close to the twigs. The aromatic foliage and waxy gray fruit separate it from the larger, more southern wax myrtle (Morella cerifera), which is taller and more evergreen.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height5' - 10'

Width/Spread5' - 10'

Reaches mature size in approximately 8 years

Colors

Flower Colors

green

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~2 weeks

Spring

Tiny greenish, petalless flowers open in spring, usually April to May, before or with the new leaves, with male and female flowers on separate plants. Wind carries pollen from male to female shrubs. Pollinated female flowers develop into gray, waxy fruits that ripen in late summer and persist through winter.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

gray-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-12 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range5.0 - 7.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

sand loam peat clay

Drainageaverage

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

5-8 years

Drought Tolerance

Drought tolerant when established

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Grows in full sun to part shade on a wide range of soils, from dry sand to wet peat, and tolerates salt, wind, drought, and poor fertility through its nitrogen-fixing roots. It is hardy in USDA zones 3-7 and holds many leaves into early winter in milder areas. Both a male and a female plant are needed for the female to set its waxy fruit. It suckers freely and can form broad colonies, so it needs room or root barriers in small gardens. Little feeding is required, and overly rich soil produces loose, open growth. Leaf spot and occasional dieback are the main issues, usually in damp, crowded sites.

Pruning

Pruning in late winter or early spring shapes the shrub and removes dead or crossing stems before new growth. Cutting back hard renews old, leggy plants, which resprout readily from the base. Removing suckers controls the spread of colonies.