Myrica pensylvanica
Common name: 
Northern Bayberry
Candleberry
Pronunciation: 
mi-RI-ka pen-sil-VAH-ni-ka
Family: 
Myricaceae
Genus: 
Myrica
Synonyms: 
Morella pensylvanica
Type: 
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon: 
No
  • Broadleaf deciduous to semi-evergreen shrub, 5-12 ft (1.5-3.7 m) tall, many upright stems, rounded, suckers and forms colonies.  Leaves simple, alternate, obovate to oblong, 4-10 cm long and 3-4 cm wide, entire or shallowly toothed toward apex, glossy dark green and pubescent above, aromatic when crushed.  Flowers monoecious or dioecious, not showy, both male and female flowers in yellowish-green catkins.  Fruit are grayish white and covered with a waxy coating, evident in fall into spring.
  • Sun, or partial shade  Withstands salt spray.
  • Hardy to USDA Zone 3      Native range from Newfoundland to western New York, Maryland, and North Carolina.  Mostly along the seashore.
  • Many of the plants in Myrica have been transferred to the genus Morella, including the Northern Bayberry, now Morella pensylvanica. However, as of 2020, The Plant List (http://www.theplantlist.org/) has Morella pensylvanica as an unresolved name.
  • Myrica: Greek name for Tamarix.    pensylvanica: of Pennsylvania.
  • Oregon State Univ. campus: east side of parking lot east of the Radiation Center, that is on the west end of the sports field.
Click image to enlarge
  • plant habit, hedge, early spring

    plant habit, hedge, early spring

  • twig with buds, early spring

    twig with buds, early spring

  • plant habit, hedge, flowering

    plant habit, hedge, flowering

  • flower buds and flowers

    flower buds and flowers

  • plant habit, hedge, summer

    plant habit, hedge, summer

  • plant habit, hedge, summer

    plant habit, hedge, summer

  • leaves

    leaves

  • leafy shoot

    leafy shoot

  • leaves, comparison

    leaves, comparison