Common Waxmyrtle

Morella cerifera

Found in Coastal dunes and beaches; salt and brackish marshes. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Mississippi (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height: 20–25 feet
Spread: 8–10 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 9 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Morella cerifera — fruit photograph — (c) Eleanor Pate, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen
Bloom: April
Fruiting season: August to October

JFMAMJJASOND

Recorded in 40 Mississippi counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Coastal dunes and beaches

Open sand of beaches, dunes and the hollows between them.

Salt and brackish marshes

Coastal marshes flooded by salty or brackish tides.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Mississippi. Shared habitat, not food. 177 animals.

Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Reddish Egret
Egretta rufescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Redhead
Aythya americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Sanderling
Calidris alba
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Short-billed Dowitcher
Limnodromus griseus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Surf Scoter
Melanitta perspicillata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Willow Flycatcher
Empidonax traillii
Birds. 1 shared habitat

Widespread birds also seen here (44)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of Mississippi

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

56CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including MS

Genus host records with ranges including MS · Myrica

Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Acleris minutaLesser Apple Leaf Folder, Yellowheaded Fireworm
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Adoneta spinuloidesPurple-Crested Slug
Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
Caloptilia stigmatellaPoplar Caloptilia
Calycopis cecropsRed-Banded Hairstreak, Cecrops Hairstreak
Catocala consorsThe Consort
Catocala mulierculaThe Little Wife, Little Wife Underwing

Show all 56

Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Cleora projectaProjecta Gray
Coelodasys apicalisPlain Schizura
Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
Episimus tyriusMaple Tip Borer
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
Hellinsia balanotesBaccharis Borer Plume Moth, Groundsel Plume Moth
Hypomecis buchholzariaX
Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
Kocakina fidelisIntractable Quaker, Green Fruitworm, Fourlined Green Fruitworm
Leptostales rubromarginariaDark-Ribboned Wave
Lycia ypsilonWoolly Gray
Megalopyge crispataBlack-Waved Flannel Moth, Crinkled Flannel Moth
Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
Nemoria bistriariaTwo-Striped Emerald, Red-Fringed Emerald
Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
Oiketicus abbotiiAbbot's Bagworm Moth
Olethreutes appendiceumServiceberry Leafroller
Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
Parasa indeterminaStinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Rose Slug Caterpillar
Pero zalissariaCoastal Pero
Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Strepsicrates smithianaBayberry Leaftier
Tallula watsoniWatson's Tallula
Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
Xestia dilucidaDull Reddish Dart, Reddish Heath Dart
Aroga argutiola
Cenopis karacana
Dichomeris bipunctellus
Olethreutes sericoranum
Stigmella myricafoliella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Myrica

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

12BirdsRecorded eating Morella in Mississippi

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Mississippi, most records first.

Tree SwallowFruit. 3 diet records
American CootSeeds. 2 diet records
Boat-tailed GrackleSeeds. 2 diet records
Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 2 diet records
American RobinFruit. 1 diet record
Blue-headed Vireo1 diet record
Eastern BluebirdFruit. 1 diet record
Eastern KingbirdFruit. 1 diet record
Philadelphia Vireo1 diet record
Ring-necked Duck1 diet record

Show all 12

White-eyed Vireo1 diet record
Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Morella 12

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Tree Swallow
Tachycineta bicolor
Fruit. 3 diet records
American Coot
Fulica americana
Seeds. 2 diet records
Boat-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus major
Seeds. 2 diet records
Hermit Thrush
Catharus guttatus
Fruit and seeds. 2 diet records
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Fruit. 1 diet record
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
1 diet record
Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Fruit. 1 diet record
Eastern Kingbird
Tyrannus tyrannus
Fruit. 1 diet record
Philadelphia Vireo
Vireo philadelphicus
1 diet record
Ring-necked Duck
Aythya collaris
1 diet record
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
1 diet record
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Fruit and seeds. 1 diet record

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Myricaceae
Hardiness: Zones 7a–11b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow or green
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: August
Fruit ends: October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “April” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow or green” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “August” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Spreads by rhizomes” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 7a–11b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “20–25 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
Leaves · “Deciduous, semi-evergreen or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differs)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “8–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Myrica cerifera; sweet gale; sweet-gale

Conservation status

Mississippi rank	SNR
Global rank	G5
MS status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

Will it fit your yard?

Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.

Choose a county to begin.

How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Suckers and forms colonies. Tends to sucker, sometimes forming large colonies. NC State Extension Plant Toolbox

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Common Waxmyrtle

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Birds that eat Morella 12

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Morella