Native range: West Coast of N. America

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• leaves extend from all sides of branch
• lanceolate to oblong-lanceolate
• nearly entire to coarsely but remotely serrate to crenate waxy leaves
• densely gland-dotted
• glands colorless to black on stems and both sides of leaves
• pubescent on underside
• aromatic when crushed

Flowers:

• inflorescence – rounded clusters
• red when young
• hairy stigmas
• females with short style enclosed by bract
• flower clusters develop at ends of branches and in leaf axils
• male, female, and bisexual flowers may be found on one spike

Fruit:

• drupe
• nearly spherical
• 4-8 mm long
• purple-black
• warty
• may be waxy

Other characteristics:

• evergreen shrub

Relevant info:

• grows well in sandy soil
• fruit pulp yields wax used to scent candles and perfumes
• fruit of some specimen of this species have lower content of aromatic wax and may appear purple-black rather than white
• formerly known as Myrica californica
  • originally assigned to Myrica by Chamisso, German botanist who published materials on the flora of Mexico with colleague Schlechtendal, in 1831
  • re-classified to Morella, another species in the same family, by American botanist R. L. Wilbur in 1994

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to the Pacific Coast and coastal valleys from southern British Columbia to central California
• in Washington, southern half of the outer coast
• at low eleveations (<500 m)
• found in sandy, moist areas
• coastal conifer forests, bogs, sand dunes, stream banks, wet meadows, marshes, low, moist hillsides
• vegetative reproduction – re-sprouts from root crown following disturbance, resulting in multi-stemmed shrub growth-form
• pollination by wind
• seed dispersal by birds, which remove the wax coating as the fruits pass through their guts, which permits germination
• drought tolerance & herbivore/insect protection – waxy substance in leaves that is produced by glands helps prevent water loss and protects against microorganism infection and insect herbivory
• herbivory and microbial defense – aromatic compounds released when leaves are crushed serve as defenses against herbivory and microbial infection
• tolerates low nutrient conditions (e.g., sandy substrates):
  • hosts nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules
  • evergreen leaves maximize investment in photosynthetic structures
• fire tolerance via re-sprouting from root crown
• adapted to wetlands:
  • closely related species (Myrica gale) produces proportionately more below-ground than above-ground tissue when soil is saturated
  • major lateral roots become semi-vertical with increasing water-table depth
  • root nodules are more abundant in wetter soils
  • nodule roots extend above surface of saturated soils, which increases oxygen uptake