WAX MYRTLE BUSH FULL
WAX MYRTLE BUSH SERIES

Margaret Canavan is a Galveston resident, a Galveston County Master Gardener, and a member of the Galveston Island Tree Conservancy Board.Wax Myrtle ( Morella cerifera) is an erect, multi-trunked evergreen understory shrub.

WAX MYRTLE BUSH SERIES

“Tree Stories” is an ongoing series of articles about outstanding Island trees, tree care, and tree issues. Find yours in the nursery trade or start one from stem or root cuttings. Dozens have been provided through the Tree Conservancy. They are tough and easy to care for and are attractive year round.

The wax myrtle can be a fine addition to home landscapes seeking a screening hedge, wind buffer, or an area providing habitat for wildlife. Wax myrtles often grow along fence rows as birds do a lot of seed planting their digestive systems remove the berry’s waxy coating to allow for seed germination. Flowers provide nectar for honeybees and other pollinators. Leaves are a larval host for the Red-Banded Hairstreak butterfly. Many songbirds and other feathered friends enjoy the berries, and trees provides excellent cover in winter and extreme weather. Wax myrtle also has importance to wildlife. Crushed leaves are reported to be a mosquito repellent. Native Americans boiled root bark to treat fevers, Louisiana colonists used it to treat dysentery, and it is still used to treat a variety of ills due to reported medicinal properties. Leaves can be used for seasoning meats and stews and as a tea. The wax-covered fruits have been used for centuries to make bayberry candles, soaps, and sealing wax. Wax myrtles have several additional useful qualities. It can handle urban confinement within paved areas. It requires regular moisture initially but once established it is it is drought- and flood-resistant. It likes sun but will accept partial shade and a variety of soil conditions. This durable tree is tolerant of high winds, waterlogged soils, and salt spray and may be grown in seaside areas. Bacteria on root nodules convert nitrogen in the soil to a form available for plant nutrition. Wax myrtles are widely used in landscapes as screens, hedges, in wetland gardens, and for habitat restoration. It is often found along streambanks and in wet areas. The tree is native from the eastern USA into east Texas, and as far south as Central America and much of the Caribbean. Unpretentious spring flowers are followed by clusters of small blue-grey berries that appear in late summer and persist through winter on pollinated female plants. The glossy light green 2-4 inch leaves are aromatic, with a spicy bayberry fragrance when crushed. It is often multi-trunked but can be pruned to a single trunk. Wax myrtle is a fast-growing small evergreen tree or large shrub that can reach up to 20 feet tall under ideal conditions.

WAX MYRTLE BUSH FULL

These small trees did well through the February icebox and are in full spring growth.

One is the unassuming wax myrtle ( myrica cerefera), also known as southern bayberry. There have been a few surprising survivors that had not received much previous attention.

Our magnificent magnolias, and even the invasive camphor, never dropped a leaf. We’ve given up on a few and piled their branches for trash day. Some are almost back to normal, but many are slow to recover. Many of us have spent recent weeks watching trees and other landscape plants for signs of life. Tree Stories - Wax Myrtle-A quiet Survivor

Wax myrtle bush