Wax Myrtle (Myrica cerifera) Wax myrtle is very common on Assateague; on the refuge you'll see these evergreen 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 wax myrtle berries (up to about one eighth of an inch) are about half the diameter of northern bay berry berries and usually grow below the leaves along the stem; and like the leaves, the berries have an aromatic scent. Wax myrtle can be best distinguished from northern bayberry by the leaves. Wax myrtle leaves are usually narrower and have greenish yellow undersides. Wax myrtle, also often referred to as "southern bayberry," is found from New Jersey southward along the coast.
Return to Plants of the Thicket and Forest Areas Menu