How to Grow and Care for Bayberry

Red bayberry (Morella rubra) is a subtropical evergreen fruit tree native to eastern Asia. It grows naturally grows on mountain slopes and in valleys, and it has been traditionally cultivated in south-central China and other parts of Asia. Red bayberry produces a rounded, small, knobbed red fruit that has gastronomical and commercial importance. Besides that, it is often used as an ornamental tree in parks and urban environments and classic East Asian gardens.

Wax myrtle (Morella cerifera) is an evergreen shrub that grows throughout North and Central America, as well as the Caribbean. It is typically used in ornamental gardens, as a seasoning, and for making candles. It's considered an attractive small shrub for hedges and ponds where erosion must be controlled. Wax myrtle can appear to die in wildfires, but can almost always regrow from the root system.

Evergreen bayberry, also known as Wax Myrtle and Morella caroliniensis, is a small, wispy evergreen shrub with plenty of landscaping possibilities. It makes an excellent hedge or screen. Both male and female trees must be present for berries to be produced. Although the berries are not good for eating, they can be boiled down to make wax, hence the name, wax myrtle.

Northern bayberry is a small deciduous shrub native to America and is an important host plant to the larvae of the Columbia Silkmoth (Hyalophora columbia). The sweet-smelling wax extracted from the round gray fruits was used by American Colonists in the past to make bayberry candles. Its naturally high salt tolerance makes it a good addition to seaside landscapes.

The *Morella californica* is a dicot shrub, which can grow to be 2 to 10 m tall, with serrated and sticky green leaves. The leaves release a spicy scent on warm days. It produces wrinkled, purplish berries with a waxy coating. This is why it is often called the pacific Wax Myrtle. Birds may sometimes eat the fruit in small quantities.