Morella pumila

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Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens only. View county names by placing the mouse cursor over a particular county.

Species Distribution Map
Family:MYRICACEAE
Species:Morella pumila (Michx.) Small
Common Name:Dwarf Bayberry
Habitat:**
Associated Ecological Communities:**
Growth Habit:Shrub
Duration:Perennial
Category:Vascular
USDA Symbol:**
Plant Notes:Dwarf Bayberry is a native evergreen shrub in the Bayberry family (Myricaceae). It is found in the southern-most counties of Alabama. Dwarf Bayberry grows in a wide variety of sandy habitats from moist pine savannas, to dry longleaf pine/scrub oak woods, and along small creeks. It is very similar to Common Wax Myrtle (Morella cerifera (Linnaeus) Small), and is considered by some to be a dwarf fire adapted variety of that species. Dwarf Bayberry forms colonies of stems from a horizontal, stoloniferous rootstock. The stems are 1-3 feet in height and branched above the middle. It has alternate, petiolate, evergreen, oblanceolate leaves that have yellowish glandular dots on the underside. The leaves are about half the size of those of Common Wax Myrtle. They are aromatic and the margins are toothed above the middle. Dwarf Bayberry is dioecious, with male and female flowers produced on separate plants. The male flowers are produced in cone-like catkins. The female plants produce an abundance of small drupes covered in a waxy bloom. The fruit is an important source of food for many bird species. Dwarf Bayberry is available in the nursery trade. There are several named cultivars which vary in height, leaf size, and color. It is deer resistant and usually pest free. It can be used as a low hedge or ground cover. When plants become leggy, they can be cut back to ground level to encourage dense sprouting. Dwarf Bayberry also produces root nodules associated with a symbiotic actinomycete that are capable of atmospheric nitrogen fixation at a rate higher than that of legumes.—A. Diamond
Taxonomic Notes:**
Status:Native
References:**
Specimen: View specimen details in the Alabama Herbarium Consortium Specimen Database

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

FamilyMYRICACEAE - Bayberry family
Genus Morella
Species Morella pumila (Michx.) Small - Dwarf Bayberry

Citation

Citation Morella pumila (Michaux) Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. 337, 1329. 1903.
Basionym: Myrica cerifera var. pumila Michaux 1803.
Type: **

** Not applicable or data not available.

Synonyms

SynonymFull CitationBasionymType
Myrica cerifera var. pumila Myrica cerifera var. pumila Michx. , FL. Bor.-Amer. 2: 228. 1803.  

Specimens and Distribution

This species has been reported in the following counties by the herbaria listed. An overview of the individual specimens are provided in the table that follows. Click on the accession number to view details; click on column headers to sort; choose a county or herbaria to filter the specimen data.

Counties included on distribution map: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile

Counties represented by specimen data listed below:

Herbaria represented by specimen data listed below: ALNHS, TROY, USAM, UWAL

Range of years during which specimens were collected: -

Barcode / Accession No. County Coll. Date Collector &
Collection No.		 Herbarium &
Herbarium Name Used		 Image
UWAL0037978 Baldwin 11 Apr 1975 LeLong, Michel G.
8312		 UWAL
Morella pumila (Michaux) Small
UWAL0030336 Escambia 17 Sep 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26840		 UWAL
Morella pumila (Michaux) Small
USAM000008690 Baldwin 11 Apr 1975 LeLong, Michel G.
8312		 USAM
Myrica pumila (Michaux) Small
TROY000042819 Escambia 17 Sep 2015 Diamond, Alvin R.
26840		 TROY
Morella pumila (Michaux) Small
ALNHS00002546 Mobile 19 Feb 2014 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#1303		 ALNHS
Morella pumila (Michx.) Small
TROY000047099 Baldwin 11 Apr 1975 Lelong, Michel G.
8312		 TROY
Morella pumila (Michx.) Small
ALNHS00004153 Escambia 26 Aug 2016 Barger, T. Wayne
SP#2579		 ALNHS
Morella pumila (Michx.) Small
UWAL0048207 Baldwin 31 Jan 2015 Horne, Howard E.
2775		 UWAL
Morella pumila (Michaux) Small
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