''Myrica'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of about 35–50

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriat ...

of small

tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...

s and

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 tree ...

s in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Myricaceae,

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of ...

Fagales. The genus has a wide

distribution Distribution may refer to: Mathematics * Distribution (mathematics), generalized functions used to formulate solutions of partial differential equations *Probability distribution, the probability of a particular value or value range of a vari ...

, including

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and th ...

and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

, and missing only from

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by ...

. Some

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

s split the genus into two genera on the basis of the

catkin A catkin or ament is a slim, cylindrical flower cluster (a spike), with inconspicuous or no petals, usually wind-pollinated (anemophilous) but sometimes insect-pollinated (as in '' Salix''). They contain many, usually unisexual flowers, arrang ...

and

fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in partic ...

structure, restricting ''Myrica'' to a few species, and treating the others in ''Morella''.Valérie Huguet, Manolo Gouy, Philippe Normand, Jeff F. Zimpfer, and Maria P. Fernandez. 2005. "Molecular phylogeny of Myricaceae: a reexamination of host-symbiont specificity". ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' 34(3):557–568. Common names include bayberry, bay-rum tree, candleberry, sweet gale, and wax-myrtle. The generic name was derived from the Greek word μυρίκη (''myrike''), meaning "fragrance".

Characteristics

The species vary from 1m shrubs up to 20m trees; some are

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, ...

, but the majority of species are

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, whic ...

. The

root In vascular plants, the roots are the organs of a plant that are modified to provide anchorage for the plant and take in water and nutrients into the plant body, which allows plants to grow taller and faster. They are most often below the su ...

s have nitrogen-fixing

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were am ...

which enable the plants to grow on soils that are very poor in

nitrogen Nitrogen is the chemical element with the symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a nonmetal and the lightest member of group 15 of the periodic table, often called the pnictogens. It is a common element in the universe, estimated at se ...

content. The

leaves A leaf ( : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", while the leaves, st ...

are spirally arranged, simple, 2–12 cm long, oblanceolate with a tapered base and broader tip, and a crinkled or finely toothed margin. The

flower A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanis ...

s are

s, with male and female catkins usually on separate plants (

dioecious Dioecy (; ; adj. dioecious , ) is a characteristic of a species, meaning that it has distinct individual organisms (unisexual) that produce male or female gametes, either directly (in animals) or indirectly (in seed plants). Dioecious reproducti ...

). The

is a small

drupe In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part ( exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or ''pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel ...

, usually with a wax coating. The type species, '' Myrica gale'', is

holarctic The Holarctic realm is a biogeographic realm that comprises the majority of habitats found throughout the continents in the Northern Hemisphere. It corresponds to the floristic Boreal Kingdom. It includes both the Nearctic zoogeographical reg ...

in distribution, growing in

acid In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a se ...

peat Peat (), also known as turf (), is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. The peatland ecosystem covers and ...

bog A bog or bogland is a wetland that accumulates peat as a deposit of dead plant materials often mosses, typically sphagnum moss. It is one of the four main types of wetlands. Other names for bogs include mire, mosses, quagmire, and muskeg; a ...

s throughout the colder parts of the Northern Hemisphere; it is a deciduous shrub growing to 1m tall. The remaining species all have relatively small ranges, and are mostly warm-temperate. '' Myrica faya'' (''Morella faya''), native to the

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plat ...

islands of the

Azores ) , motto =( en, "Rather die free than subjected in peace") , anthem= ( en, "Anthem of the Azores") , image_map=Locator_map_of_Azores_in_EU.svg , map_alt=Location of the Azores within the European Union , map_caption=Location of the Azores wi ...

Madeira ) , anthem = ( en, "Anthem of the Autonomous Region of Madeira") , song_type = Regional anthem , image_map=EU-Portugal_with_Madeira_circled.svg , map_alt=Location of Madeira , map_caption=Location of Madeira , subdivision_type=Sovereign st ...

and the

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; es, :es:Canarias, Canarias, ), also known informally as the Canaries, are a Spanish Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community and archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, in Macaronesia. At their closest point to ...

, has become an

invasive species An invasive species otherwise known as an alien is an introduced organism that becomes overpopulated and harms its new environment. Although most introduced species are neutral or beneficial with respect to other species, invasive species adv ...

on the

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

an volcanoesWarren L. Wagner, Derral R. Herbst, and Sy H. Sohmer. ''Manual of the Flowering Plants of Hawaii'', Revised Edition, 1999. Bishop Museum Press: Hololulu. where it was introduced in the 19th century; its ability to fix nitrogen makes it very well adapted to growing on low-nitrogen volcanic soils. The wax coating on the fruit is indigestible for most

bird Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...

s, but a few species have adapted to be able to eat it, notably the

yellow-rumped warbler The yellow-rumped warbler (''Setophaga coronata'') is a regular North American bird species that can be commonly observed all across the continent. Its extensive distribution range connects both the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of the U.S. as well ...

and tree swallow in North America. As the wax is very energy-rich, this enables the yellow-rumped warbler to winter farther north in cooler climates than any other American warbler if bayberries are present. The

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s are then dispersed in the droppings of the birds. ''Myrica'' species are used as food plants by the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e of some

Lepidoptera Lepidoptera ( ) is an order of insects that includes butterflies and moths (both are called lepidopterans). About 180,000 species of the Lepidoptera are described, in 126 families and 46 superfamilies, 10 percent of the total described speci ...

species including

brown-tail The brown-tail moth (''Euproctis chrysorrhoea'') is a moth of the family Erebidae. It is native to Europe, neighboring countries in Asia, and the north coast of Africa. Descriptions of outbreaks, i.e., large population increases of several year ...

, emperor moth, and

winter moth :''In North America, "winter moth" usually denotes the invasive species ''Operophtera brumata'', but may also mean refer to a native species, ''Erannis tiliaria'' (linden looper) or '' Operophtera bruceata'' (bruce spanworm).'' The winter moth (' ...

as well as the bucculatricid leaf-miners ''Bucculatrix cidarella'', ''B. myricae'' (feeds exclusively on ''M. gale'') and ''B. paroptila'' and the '' Coleophora'' case-bearers ''C. comptoniella'', ''C. pruniella'', and ''C. viminetella''.

Uses

Native Americans used bayberry medicinally. The root bark was pounded into powder and mixed with water to cure diarrhea. American pioneers sniffed the powder to counter nasal congestion. It was sometimes used in poultices. The wax coating on the fruit of several species, known as bayberry wax, has been used traditionally to make

candle A candle is an ignitable wick embedded in wax, or another flammable solid substance such as tallow, that provides light, and in some cases, a fragrance. A candle can also provide heat or a method of keeping time. A person who makes candle ...

s. It was used for that purpose by the Robinson family in the novel ''

The Swiss Family Robinson ''The Swiss Family Robinson'' (German: ''Der Schweizerische Robinson'') is a novel by Johann David Wyss, first published in 1812, about a Swiss family of immigrants whose ship en route to Port Jackson, Australia, goes off course and is shipwr ...

''. The foliage of '' Myrica gale'' is a traditional insect repellent, used by campers to keep biting insects out of

tent A tent () is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over, attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using ...

s. Several species are also grown as ornamental plants in

garden A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...

s. The fruit of '' Myrica rubra'' is an economically important crop in

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

, sold fresh, dried, canned, for juice, for flavoring in snacks, and for alcoholic beverages. Myrica is used to spice

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

and snaps in

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

. The leaves can add flavor to soups and broths. They can be dried and stored in jars to be used as a spice.

Species

''Myrica'' comprises the following species: *'' Myrica adenophora'' Hance *''

Myrica arborea ''Myrica arborea'' (sometimes ''Morella arborea'') is a species of plant in the Myricaceae family. A non-legume Nitrogen fixer Actinorhizal plants are a group of angiosperms characterized by their ability to form a symbiosis with the nitrogen fi ...

'' Hutch. *'' Myrica brevifolia'' E. Mey. ex C. DC. *''

Myrica cacuminis ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Britton & P.Wilson *'' Myrica californica''

Cham. Adelbert von Chamisso (; 30 January 178121 August 1838) was a German poet and botanist, author of '' Peter Schlemihl'', a famous story about a man who sold his shadow. He was commonly known in French as Adelbert de Chamisso (or Chamissot) de Bo ...

& Schltdl. – California bayberry *''

Myrica caroliniensis ''Myrica caroliniensis'' is a shrub or small tree native to the coast and coastal plains of southeastern North America. Its common names include bayberry, southern bayberry, pocosin bayberry, and evergreen bayberry. It sees uses in the garden an ...

'' Mill. southern bayberry *'' Myrica cerifera'' L. – wax-myrtle, southern wax-myrtle *'' Myrica chevalieri'' (Parra-Os.) Christenh. & Byng *'' Myrica chimanimaniana'' (Verdc. & Polhill) Christenh. & Byng *'' Myrica cordifolia'' L. *''

Myrica dentulata ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Baill. *'' Myrica diversifolia'' Adamson *'' Myrica esculenta'' Buch.-Ham. ex D.Don *'' Myrica faya'' Aiton – faya bayberry *''

Myrica funckii ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' A.Chev. *'' Myrica gale'' L. – sweet gale or bog-myrtle *''

Myrica goetzei ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Engl. *'' Myrica hartwegii''

S.Watson Sereno Watson (December 1, 1826 in East Windsor Hill, Connecticut – March 9, 1892 in Cambridge, Massachusetts) was an American botanist. Graduating from Yale in 1847 in Biology, he drifted through various occupations until, in California, he ...

– Sierra bayberry *'' Myrica heterophylla'' Raf. *''

Myrica holdridgeana ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Lundell *''

Myrica humilis ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Cham. *'' Myrica inodora'' W.Bartram – scentless bayberry *'' Myrica integra'' (A.Chev.) Killick *''

Myrica integrifolia ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Roxb. *'' Myrica interrupta'' Benth. *'' Myrica javanica'' Blume *''

Myrica kandtiana ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Austr ...

'' Engl. *'' Myrica kilimandscharica'' Engl. *''

Myrica kraussiana ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Austr ...

'' Buchinger ex Meisn. *'' Myrica lindeniana'' C.DC. *'' Myrica meyeri-johannis'' Engl. *'' Myrica microbracteata'' Weim. *''

Myrica mildbraedii ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Engl. *'' Myrica nana'' A.Chev. *''

Myrica parvifolia ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Benth. *'' Myrica pavonis'' C.DC. *''

Myrica pensylvanica ''Myrica pensylvanica'', the northern bayberry, is a species of ''Myrica'' native to eastern North America, from Newfoundland west to Ontario and Ohio, and south to North Carolina. It is also classified as ''Morella pensylvanica''. ''Myrica pens ...

'' Mirb. – northern bayberry *'' Myrica phanerodonta'' Standl. *'' Myrica picardae'' Krug & Urb. *''

Myrica pilulifera ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the Family (biology), family Myricaceae, Taxonomic rank, order Fagales. The genus has a wide Species distribution, distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North A ...

'' Rendle *''

Myrica pringlei ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Austr ...

'' Greenm. *'' Myrica pubescens'' Humb. & Bonpl. ex Willd. *''

Myrica punctata ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from Austr ...

'' Griseb. *'' Myrica quercifolia'' L. *'' Myrica rotundata'' Steyerm. & Maguire *'' Myrica rubra'' Siebold & Zucc. – ''yang mei'', Chinese bayberry, yumberry *'' Myrica salicifolia'' Hochst. ex A.Rich. *'' Myrica serrata'' Lam. *''

Myrica shaferi ''Myrica'' is a genus of about 35–50 species of small trees and shrubs in the family Myricaceae, order Fagales. The genus has a wide distribution, including Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America, and missing only from ...

'' Urb. & Britton *'' Myrica singularis'' Parra-Os. *'' Myrica spathulata'' Mirb.

Species names with uncertain taxonomic status

The status of the following species and hybrids is unresolved: * ''Morella × macfarlanei'' (Youngken) Kartesz * ''Morella pumila'' Small * ''Myrica aethiopica'' L. * ''Myrica alaternoides'' Crantz * ''Myrica algarbiensis'' Gand. * ''Myrica altera'' C.DC. * ''Myrica apiculata'' Urb. & Ekman * ''Myrica arabica'' Willd. * ''Myrica auriculata'' Ridl. * ''Myrica australasica'' F.Muell. * ''Myrica banksiifolia'' J.C.Wendl. * ''Myrica bojeriana'' Baker * ''Myrica'' × ''burbankii'' A.Chev. * ''Myrica burmannii'' E. Mey. ex C. Dc. * ''Myrica capensis'' Steud. * ''Myrica carolenensis'' A.Rich. * ''Myrica caroliniana'' Ettingsh. * ''Myrica conifera'' Burm.f. * ''Myrica domingana'' C.DC. * ''Myrica dregeana'' A.Chev. * ''Myrica elliptica'' A.Chev. * ''Myrica esquirolii'' H.Lév. * ''Myrica fallax'' DC. * ''Myrica florida'' Regel * ''Myrica fuscata'' Raf. * ''Myrica glabrissima'' A.Chev. * ''Myrica hirsuta'' Mill. * ''Myrica holtzii'' Engl. & Brehmer * ''Myrica humbertii'' Staner & Lebrun * ''Myrica ilicifolia'' Burm.f. * ''Myrica jamaicensis'' R.A.Howard & Proctor * ''Myrica laciniata'' Willd. * ''Myrica latiloba'' Heer * ''Myrica lobbii'' Teijsm. & Binn. ex Miq. * ''Myrica longifolia'' Teijsm. & Binn. ex C.DC. * ''Myrica macrophylla'' Mirb. * ''Myrica microcarpa'' Benth. * ''Myrica microstachya'' Krug & Urb. * ''Myrica montana'' Vahl * ''Myrica mossii'' Burtt Davy * ''Myrica myrtifolia'' A.Chev. * ''Myrica nagi'' Thunb. * ''Myrica natalensis'' C.DC. * ''Myrica oligadenia'' Peter * ''Myrica ovata'' H.L.Wendl. * ''Myrica pusilla'' Raf. * ''Myrica reticulata'' Krug & Urb. * ''

Myrica rivas-martinezii ''Myrica rivas-martinezii'' is a species of plant in the Myricaceae family. It is endemic to three of the Canary Islands (Spain). It is threatened by habitat loss Habitat destruction (also termed habitat loss and habitat reduction) is the ...

'' A.Santos * ''Myrica rogersii'' Burtt Davy * ''Myrica roraimae'' Oliv. * ''Myrica rothmaleriana'' P.Silva * ''Myrica rotundifolia'' Salisb. * ''Myrica tomentosa'' Asch. & Graebn. * ''Myrica trifoliata'' Turpin * ''Myrica trifoliata'' L. * ''Myrica trifoliolata'' DC. * ''Myrica undulata'' Raf. * ''Myrica usambarensis'' Engl. * ''Myrica verrucosa'' Raf. * ''Myrica vidaliana'' Rolfe

Formerly placed here

*'' Balakata luzonica'' (as ''M. luzonica'' S.Vidal)''Balakata''.
Malesian Euphorbiaceae Descriptions. National Herbarium Nederland. *''

Comptonia peregrina ''Comptonia peregrina'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae. It is the only extant (living) species in the genus '' Comptonia'', although a number of extinct species are placed in the genus. ''Comptonia peregrina'' is native ...

'' (L.) J.M.Coult. (as ''M. aspleniifolia'' L.) *'' Nageia nagi'' (Thunb.) Kuntze (as ''M. nagi'' Thunb.)

References

External links

Flora Europaea: ''Myrica''Flora of China: ''Myrica''Flora of North America: ''Myrica''Trees and shrubs of Ecuador: ''Myrica''Monograph on the medicinal and clinical uses of ''Myrica cerifera''
{{Authority control Fagales genera Dioecious plants