Wax Myrtles grow in a variety of habitats, from dry, sandy pine flatwoods to moist, shady oak hammocks to the swamp and marsh. Dense evergreen foliage provides wildlife cover while the blue berries are an excellent food for warblers and other songbirds. Wax Myrtles flower in late winter, with male catkins and inconspicuous female flower “bumps” on separate trees, the latter growing into waxy blue berries that tightly clasp the stem. A nitrogen fixing plant, myrtles can live in infertile soils.

Latin Name: Myrica Cerifera

Habitat: Pine Flatwoods, Oak Hammock, Swamp, Marsh