Northern Bay Berry (Myrica pensylvanica) Like wax myrtle, northern bay berry is very common on Assateague; on the refuge you'll see these deciduous shrubs along the main road as you leave the loblolly pine area and along the trail that cuts from the Wildlife Loop to the main road by Swan Cove (map). The blue-grey bay-berry berries (up to about one-quarter inch) are about twice as large as wax myrtle berries and usually grow below the leaves on the stem tips. Northern bay berry can be best distinguished from wax myrtle by the leaves. Northern bay berry leaves are usually wider (up to about two and a half inches) and lack the greenish yellow undersides of the wax myrtle leaves. Northern bay berry is found from New Jersey southward along the coast.
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