''Myrica hartwegii'', known by the common names Sierra sweet bay and Sierra bayberry, is a species of
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
in the
bayberry family.
The plant is
endemic
Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...
to the
Sierra Nevada
The Sierra Nevada () is a mountain range in the Western United States, between the Central Valley of California and the Great Basin. The vast majority of the range lies in the state of California, although the Carson Range spur lies primarily ...
of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, where it grows in moist areas, such as streambanks, in the foothills and lower slopes up to a maximum elevation of .
Description
''Myrica hartwegii'' is
deciduous
In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
shrub that grows tall with purple-black branches and twigs studded with yellowish resin glands.
The leaves are widely lance-shaped to oval with blunt tips. They are up to about 10 cm long and about 3 wide, and they are usually edged with a few shallow teeth. They have scattered hairs and are densely coated in resin glands.
The male and female flowers are arranged in separate spikelike
inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed o ...
s. The spherical, slightly waxy fruit is just under 2 mm wide and is dotted with glands.
References
External links
Jepson Manual TreatmentFlora of North AmericaUC Photo gallery
hartwegii
Endemic flora of California
Flora of the Sierra Nevada (United States)
Flora without expected TNC conservation status
{{Fagales-stub