Morella cerifera

• Interesting Facts
• Common Names
• Description
• Biology
• Taxonomy
• Similar Species
• More Info
• Further Reading
• Notes

Interesting Facts

Common Names

Click on the language to view common names.

Description

Family Myricaceae

Trees or shrubs , evergreen or deciduous, monoecious or dioecious, aromatic , often with resinous , peltate glands . Leaves alternate, simple , pinnately veined, entire to irregularly serrate or lobed , rarely pinnatifid ; stipules absent or rarely present. Flowers in spikes, usually unisexual , anemophilous , without perianth. Male flowers solitary in axil of each bract, with 2-4 bracteoles or not. Stamens 2-20, often 4-8 on receptacle at base of bract; filaments short, free or slightly united at base; anthers erect , dithecal , extrorse , dehiscing longitudinally. Female flowers solitary or 2-4 in axil of bract, usually with 2-4 bracteoles. Gynoecium of 2 carpels united into a compound and 1-loculed ovary; styles distinct or united only at base; ovule solitary, basal, erect, orthotropous . Fruit drupaceous , or nearly a nutlet , often with headlike, wax-covered papillae; endocarp hard. Seeds nearly without endosperm; embryo straight; cotyledons fleshy , plano-convex .

Three genera and ca. 50 species: widespread in both hemispheres, mostly in temperate or subtropical regions; one genus and four species (two endemic) in China.[1]

Physical Description

Landscaping

Care: Deer resistant.

Habitat

Typically found at an altitude of 0 to 2,085 meters (0 to 6,841 feet).[2]

Biome: Terrestrial

Biology

Reproduction

Duration: Perennial • Coppice Potential: No • Progagated by Bulbs: No • Propagated by Bare Root: Yes • Propagated by Container: Yes • Propagated by Corms: No • Propagated by Cuttings: No • Propagated by Seed: Yes • Propagated by Sod: No • Propagated by Sprigs: No • Propagated by Tubers: No • Fruit/Seed Period Begin: Summer • Fruit/Seed Period End: Fall • Fruit/Seed Persistence: Yes

Growth

Culture: Space 10-12' apart.

Soil: Adapted to Medium Textured: Adapted to Medium Textured Soils • Adapted to Coarse Textured Soils: Yes • Anaerobic Tolerance: Medium • Salinity Tolerance: Medium • CaCO3 Tolerance: Medium • Minimum pH: 5.5 • Maximum pH: 7.0 • Fertility Requirement: Low

Sunlight: Sun Exposure: Full Sun . • Shade Tolerance: Intolerant

Moisture: Drought Tolerance: Medium • Minimum Precipitation: 34 • Maximum Precipitation: 60 • Moisture Use: High

Temperature: Minimum Temperature (F): -3°F. • Minimum Frost Free Days: 155 • Cold Hardiness: 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b. (map)

Taxonomy

Unambiguous Synonyms

1. Cerothamnus ceriferus (L.) Small
2. Cerothamnus pumilus (Michx.) Small
3. Myrica cerifera L.
4. Myrica cerifera var. pumila Michx.
5. Myrica pusilla Raf.

Notes

A tentatively accepted name in the RHS Horticultural Database.

Name Status: Accepted Name. Latest taxonomic scrutiny: 15-Mar-2000

Place of publication : Fl. s.e. U.S. 337, 1329. 1903

Name verified on 05-Sep-2000 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 05-Sep-2000

Similar Species

Members of the genus Morella

ZipcodeZoo has pages for 54 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:

M. pensylvanica 'Wildwood' (Northern Bayberry) · M. 'Suwannee Elf' (Southern Bayberry) · M. adenophora · M. arborea · M. brevifolia · M. californica (California Wax Myrtle) · M. carolinensis (Southern Bayberry) · M. caroliniensis (Evergreen Bayberry) · M. cerifera (Southern Wax-Myrtle) · M. cerifera 'Augusta Green' · M. chevalieri · M. chimanimaniana · M. cordifolia (Waxberry) · M. diversifolia · M. esculenta · M. faya (Candleberry Myrtle Morella Faya) · M. funckii · M. holdridgeana (Palo De Cera) · M. humilis · M. inodora (Scentless Bayberry) · M. integra · M. javanica · M. kandtiana · M. kraussiana · M. lindeniana · M. microbracteata · M. nana · M. parvifolia · M. pavonis · M. pensylvanica (Northern Bayberry) · M. pensylvanica 'Bayview' · M. pensylvanica 'Bobbee' · M. phanerodonta · M. picardae · M. pilulifera · M. pringlei · M. pubescens · M. pumila · M. punctata · M. quercifolia · M. rivas-martinezii · M. rotundata · M. rubra (Chinese-Arbutus) · M. salicifolia · M. salicifolia kilimandscharica · M. salicifolia meyeri-johannis · M. salicifolia mildbraedii · M. salicifolia subsp. kilimandscharica · M. salicifolia var. goetzei · M. salicifolia var. kilimandscharica · M. serrata · M. singularis · M. spathulata · M. × macfarlanei

More Info

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Further Reading

• A contribution to the botany of the Isle of Pines, Cuba, based upon the specimens of plants from that island contained in the herbarium of the Carnegie Museum under date of October, 1916. By O.E. Jennings. [n.p., 1917] ENG url p. 107.
• Annals of the Carnegie Museum. [Pittsburgh]: Published by authority of the Board of Trustees of the Carnegie Institute, 1901- ENG url p. 107.
• Diggs, G. M., Jr. et al. 1999. Shinner's and Mahler's illustrated flora of North Central Texas. (F NC Tex) [= Myrica cerifera L.].
• Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs. (CRC MedHerbs ed2)
• FNA Editorial Committee. 1993–. Flora of North America. (F NAmer) [= Myrica cerifera L.].
• Flora of Miami; being descriptions of the seed-plants growing naturally on the Everglade Keys and in the adjacent Everglades, southern peninsular Florida. New York, The author, 1913. ENG url p. 61.
• Flora of the southeastern United States; being descriptions of the seed-plants, ferns and fern-allies growing naturally in North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Louisiana, and in Oklahom by John Kunke New York, The author, 1913. ENG url p. 337.
• Journal of the Arnold Arboretum. 52 1971 Cambridge, Mass.: Arnold Arboretum, Harvard University [etc.], 1919- ENG url p. 310.
• Manual de plantas de Costa Rica /B.E. Hammel [et al.] editores; Silvia Troyo, ilustraciones. 97 2004 St. Louis, Mo.: Missouri Botanical Garden, 2003- SPA url p. 124, p. 125, p. 126, p. 198.
• McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2)
• Wilbur, R. L. 1994. The Myricaceae of the United States and Canada: genera, subgenera, and series. Sida 16:100.
• Wilbur, R. L. 2002. The identity and history of Myrica caroliniensis (Myricaceae). Rhodora 104:39.

Notes

Contributors

• Bisby, F.A., Y.R. Roskov, M.A. Ruggiero, T.M. Orrell, L.E. Paglinawan, P.W. Brewer, N. Bailly, J. van Hertum, eds (2007). Species 2000 and ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2007 Annual Checklist. Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
• Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed March 31, 2007.
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 20, 2007. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 6 providers.
• The International Plant Names Index. Accessed Jan 19, 2007.
• The United States National Arboretum, Washington DC
• USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 29, 2008)

Data Sources

Accessed through GBIF Data Portal November 25, 2007:

• Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad
• , Biodiversidad de Costa Rica
• Missouri Botanical Garden, Missouri Botanical Garden
• USDA PLANTS, USDA PLANTS Database

Identifiers

• Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 2671686
• Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-507899
• Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13765975
• Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:585472-1
• GRIN Nomen Number: 413128
• Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) Taxonomic Serial Number (TSN): 507899
• International Plant Names Index (IPNI) ID: 585472-1
• MoBot NameID: 21700096
• Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDMCC02020
• U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: MOCE2
• Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 50615

Footnotes

1. Anmin Lu & Allan J. Bornstein "Myricaceae". in Flora of China Vol. 4 Page 275. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
2. Mean = 348.350 meters (1,142.881 feet), Standard Deviation = 597.000 based on 948 observations. Altitude information for each observation from British Oceanographic Data Centre. [back]

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