Taxon: Morella cerifera (L.) Small

Summary

Genus:

Morella

Family:

Myricaceae

Nomen number:

413128

Place of publication:

Fl. s.e. U.S. 337, 1329. 1903

Protologue link:

https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/page/377224

Verified:

09/05/2000 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

29 (20 active, 12 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Basionym
Myrica cerifera L.

Autonym(s)
Morella cerifera (L.) Small var. cerifera

Homotypic Synonym(s)
Myrica cerifera L. var. cerifera

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Morella cerifera (L.) Small var. pumila Michx.
Morella pumila (Michx.) Small
Myrica cerifera L. var. pumila Michx.
Myrica pumila (Michx.) Small

No images

Links

Forestry Images – from www.forestryimages.org

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas Note: = Myrica cerifera
Diggs, G. M., Jr. et al. 1999. Shinner's and Mahler's illustrated flora of North Central Texas. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: = Myrica cerifera
Little, E. L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees, Agric. Handb. 541 Note: = Myrica cerifera
McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
Reichel, S. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. German common names
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
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.
2018. Oklahoma vascular plant database

Common names

Language	Name	note	seq	Citation
English	bayberry		1	McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
English	candleberry	as Myrica cerifera	1	Correll, D. S. & M. C. Johnston. 1970. Manual of the vascular plants of Texas Note: = Myrica cerifera
English	southern bayberry	as Myrica cerifera	1	Little, E. L., Jr. 1979. Checklist of United States trees, Agric. Handb. 541 Note: = Myrica cerifera
English	southern wax-myrtle	as Myrica cerifera	1	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
English	waxberry	as Myrica cerifera	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada Note: = Myrica cerifera
English	wax-myrtle		1	Wiersema, J. H. & B. León. 1999. World economic plants: a standard reference CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL.
French	arbre à cire	as Myrica cerifera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
German	Wachsbeerbaum	as Myrica cerifera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
German	Wachsmyrte		2	Reichel, S. 1998. pers. comm. Note: re. German common names
Portuguese	louro-bravo	as Myrica cerifera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
Spanish	arrayán	as Myrica cerifera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
Spanish	cera vegetal	as Myrica cerifera	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants Note: = Myrica cerifera
Swedish	vaxpors		2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	North-Central U.S.A.	United States	Oklahoma		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Northeastern U.S.A.	United States	New Jersey	s.	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Durango		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	San Luis Potosí		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Tamaulipas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	South-Central U.S.A.	United States	Texas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Alabama		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Arkansas		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Delaware		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Florida	http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/main.asp?plantID=3942	FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Georgia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Louisiana		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Maryland		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Mississippi		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	North Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	South Carolina		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southeastern U.S.A.	United States	Virginia		FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Hidalgo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	México		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Puebla		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Querétaro		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Quintana Roo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Yucatán		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bahamas
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Bermuda
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola		possibly
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Jamaica
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Belize
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama		w.

Native
Northern America

NORTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [New Jersey (s.)]
NORTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Oklahoma]
SOUTHEASTERN U.S.A.: United States [Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida (http://www.plantatlas.usf.edu/main.asp?plantID=3942), Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia]
SOUTH-CENTRAL U.S.A.: United States [Texas]
NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Durango, San Luis Potosí, Tamaulipas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, México, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Puebla, Querétaro, Quintana Roo, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave, Yucatán]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola (possibly), Bahamas, Bermuda, Cuba, Jamaica, United States [Puerto Rico]
CENTRAL AMERICA: Belize, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama (w.), El Salvador

Reference(s)

FNA Editorial Committee. 1993-. Flora of North America. Note: = Myrica cerifera L.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:804.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Materials	wax	as Myrica cerifera	Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala. Note: as Myrica cerifera
Materials	wax	as Myrica cerifera	Williams, L. O. 1958. Bayberry wax and bayberries. Econ. Bot. 12:104.
Medicines	folklore		Duke, J. A. et al. 2002. CRC Handbook of medicinal herbs
Medicines	folklore		McGuffin, M., J. T. Kartesz, A. Y. Leung, & A. O. Tucker. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2 American Herbal Products Association, Silver Spring, Maryland.
Medicines	folklore	as Myrica cerifera	Leung, A. Y. & S. Foster. 1996. Encyclopedia of common natural ingredients used in food, drugs, and cosmetics, ed. 2 Note: as Myrica cerifera

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=413128. Accessed 17 April 2026.