Contains 3 accepted taxa overall.
Characteristics
The genus Myrica s.s. is now generally restricted to two species of the temperate northern hemisphere, characterized by deciduous shrubs, stomata sunken in leaf blades, inflorescence borne on previous year's growth, and fruits dry. Morella includes evergreen shrubs, stomata not sunken in leaf blades, inflorescence borne on new growth, and fruit fleshy or waxy (Herbert 2005; Huguet et al. 2005; Liu et al. 2015). The Florida species belong in Morella.
Classification
Citation
Morella Loureiro, Fl. Cochinch 537, 548. 1790.
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TYPE: Morella rubra Loureiro 1790.
Species
| Scientific Name | Common Name | Herbarium Specimens | Status | Photos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Morella caroliniensis | EVERGREEN BAYBERRY; NORTHERN BAYBERRY | Native FACW (NWPL) FACW (DEP) | ||
| Morella cerifera | SOUTHERN BAYBERRY; WAX MYRTLE | Native FAC (NWPL) AD (WAP) FAC (DEP) | ||
| Morella inodora | ODORLESS BAYBERRY | Native OBL (NWPL) FACW (DEP) |
[Family identification key]
1. Leaf blade entire (very rarely toothed), glabrous to glabrate, glands clear to white, lacking odor when crushed; stamens (3-)6-10; fruit 4-8 mm long, densely pubescent
1. Leaf blade entire to toothed, pilose, glands yellow to orange, aromatic when crushed; stamens 3–5(–7); fruit 2-4.5 mm long, glabrous
2
2. Leaf blade gland-dotted only on the underside, larger blades often >2 cm wide, mostly 2-4 times longer than wide; inflorescence bracts eglandular to sparsely glandular, at the least the basal ones, sometimes the distal bracts densely glandular
2. Leaf blade gland-dotted on both surfaces, usually <2(3.3) cm wide, mostly 3-6 times longer than wide; inflorescence bracts densely glandular
3
3. Not colonial or sparingly colonial, fertile at (1.5)2-7 m tall; basal part of main stem 1.2-50 cm wide; leaves of fertile part of stem (1.5)2.5-10.5(13), 0.4-3.3 cm wide, the teeth and tips often acute, surfaces densely glandular and often green to dark green (browning when dry); of mesic to hydric sites
3. Colonial, <1 m tall; basal part of main stem 0.5-1.0 cm wide; leaves of fertile part of stem 1.5-3.5(5) cm long, 0.3-1.0(1.3) cm wide, the teeth and tips often bluntly acute to rounded-obtuse, surfaces very densely glandular and often yellowish to green (browning when dry); of xeric to xeric-mesic sites
Genus Synonyms
| Synonym | Full Citation | Basionym | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cerothamnus | Cerothamnus Tidestrom, Elys. Marian. Ferns 40. 1910. | TYPE: Non designatus. | |
| Faya | Faya Webb & Berthelot, Hist. Nat. Iles Canaries 3(2(3)): 272, t. 216. 1847. | TYPE: Faya fragifera Webb & Berthelot (Morella faya Aiton) | |
| Fayana | Fayana Rafinesque, Alsogr. Amer. 12. 1838. | TYPE: Fayana azorica Rafinesque |