Index / Search / Morella cerifera
§1 Plant
Morella cerifera (L.) Small
vernacular wax myrtle — species · Myricaceae
§2Habit & range
Habit and range
- Growth habit
- Shrub, Subshrub, Tree
- Duration
- Perennial
- Group
- Dicot
- Family
- Myricaceae Rich. ex Kunth
- Genus
- Morella
§2a
Native status, by region
- HI Hawaii Introduced
- L48 Lower 48 States Native
- PR Puerto Rico Native
§2b
County-level range
· 435 counties across 13 states/territories§3Cultivation specs · USDA
Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.
§3a
Tolerances
- Drought
- Medium
- Shade
- High
- Moisture use
- High
- Fire
- Low
- Salinity
- Medium
- Anaerobic
- Medium
- CaCO₃
- Medium
- Hedging
- High
§3b
Climate & soil
- Cold tolerance
- -3 °F minimum
- Frost-free days
- 155 min.
- Precipitation
- 34–60 in/yr
- pH range
- 5.4–9.1
- Root depth
- 20 in min.
- Fertility need
- Low
- Soil texture
- coarse, medium, fine
§3c
Form & growth
- Growth form
- Rhizomatous
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Lifespan
- Long
- Mature height
- 10 ft
- Height @ 20 y
- 10 ft
- Foliage texture
- Coarse
- Foliage colour
- Green
- Porosity (winter)
- Moderate
- Flower colour
- White
- Fruit colour
- Blue
- Fire resistant
- No
- N fixation
- None
- Toxicity
- None
§3d
Reproduction
- Bloom period
- Spring
- Seed abundance
- High
- Seed begins
- Summer
- Seed ends
- Fall
- Spread rate
- Moderate
- Stratify
- Yes
- Seeds / lb
- 84,000
- Propagation
- seed, bare root, container
§3e
Use & availability
- Commercial availability
- Routinely Available
- Nursery stock
- Yes
- Browse palatability
- Low
- Graze palatability
- Low
- Palatable, human
- No
- Protein potential
- Low
- Lumber
- No
- Christmas tree
- No
§4Counties, by state
Recorded in 435 counties across 13 states/territories.
Alabama view state ↗ 37 N ▾
- Autauga 01001
- Baldwin 01003
- Barbour 01005
- Bibb 01007
- Bullock 01011
- Butler 01013
- Choctaw 01023
- Clarke 01025
- Coffee 01031
- Conecuh 01035
- Covington 01039
- Crenshaw 01041
- Cullman 01043
- Dale 01045
- Dallas 01047
- Escambia 01053
- Geneva 01061
- Greene 01063
- Hale 01065
- Henry 01067
- Houston 01069
- Jackson 01071
- Lee 01081
- Lowndes 01085
- Macon 01087
- Marengo 01091
- Mobile 01097
- Monroe 01099
- Montgomery 01101
- Perry 01105
- Pickens 01107
- Pike 01109
- Russell 01113
- Sumter 01119
- Tuscaloosa 01125
- Washington 01129
- Wilcox 01131
Arkansas view state ↗ 21 N ▾
Delaware view state ↗ 1 N ▾
Florida view state ↗ 63 N ▾
- Alachua 12001
- Baker 12003
- Bay 12005
- Bradford 12007
- Brevard 12009
- Calhoun 12013
- Charlotte 12015
- Citrus 12017
- Clay 12019
- Collier 12021
- Columbia 12023
- DeSoto 12027
- Dixie 12029
- Duval 12031
- Escambia 12033
- Flagler 12035
- Franklin 12037
- Gadsden 12039
- Gilchrist 12041
- Glades 12043
- Hamilton 12047
- Hardee 12049
- Hendry 12051
- Hernando 12053
- Highlands 12055
- Hillsborough 12057
- Indian River 12061
- Jackson 12063
- Jefferson 12065
- Lafayette 12067
- Lake 12069
- Lee 12071
- Leon 12073
- Levy 12075
- Liberty 12077
- Madison 12079
- Manatee 12081
- Marion 12083
- Martin 12085
- Miami-Dade 12086
- Monroe 12087
- Nassau 12089
- Okaloosa 12091
- Okeechobee 12093
- Orange 12095
- Osceola 12097
- Palm Beach 12099
- Pasco 12101
- Pinellas 12103
- Polk 12105
- Putnam 12107
- Sarasota 12115
- Seminole 12117
- St. Johns 12109
- St. Lucie 12111
- Sumter 12119
- Suwannee 12121
- Taylor 12123
- Union 12125
- Volusia 12127
- Wakulla 12129
- Walton 12131
- Washington 12133
Georgia view state ↗ 57 N ▾
- Bacon 13005
- Baker 13007
- Ben Hill 13017
- Berrien 13019
- Bibb 13021
- Brooks 13027
- Bryan 13029
- Camden 13039
- Charlton 13049
- Chatham 13051
- Colquitt 13071
- Columbia 13073
- Cook 13075
- Crisp 13081
- Decatur 13087
- Dougherty 13095
- Early 13099
- Echols 13101
- Effingham 13103
- Emanuel 13107
- Glynn 13127
- Grady 13131
- Hancock 13141
- Harris 13145
- Henry 13151
- Houston 13153
- Jackson 13157
- Jasper 13159
- Jefferson 13163
- Jenkins 13165
- Lanier 13173
- Lee 13177
- Liberty 13179
- Lincoln 13181
- Long 13183
- Lowndes 13185
- Madison 13195
- McDuffie 13189
- McIntosh 13191
- Miller 13201
- Mitchell 13205
- Morgan 13211
- Newton 13217
- Richmond 13245
- Screven 13251
- Spalding 13255
- Sumter 13261
- Tattnall 13267
- Telfair 13271
- Thomas 13275
- Tift 13277
- Toombs 13279
- Turner 13287
- Ware 13299
- Washington 13303
- Wayne 13305
- Wheeler 13309
Louisiana view state ↗ 55 N ▾
- Allen 22003
- Ascension 22005
- Assumption 22007
- Avoyelles 22009
- Beauregard 22011
- Bienville 22013
- Bossier 22015
- Caddo 22017
- Calcasieu 22019
- Caldwell 22021
- Cameron 22023
- Catahoula 22025
- Claiborne 22027
- De Soto 22031
- East Baton Rouge 22033
- East Feliciana 22037
- Evangeline 22039
- Grant 22043
- Iberia 22045
- Iberville 22047
- Jackson 22049
- Jefferson 22051
- Jefferson Davis 22053
- Lafayette 22055
- Lafourche 22057
- LaSalle 22059
- Lincoln 22061
- Livingston 22063
- Morehouse 22067
- Natchitoches 22069
- Orleans 22071
- Ouachita 22073
- Plaquemines 22075
- Pointe Coupee 22077
- Rapides 22079
- Red River 22081
- Sabine 22085
- St. Bernard 22087
- St. Charles 22089
- St. Helena 22091
- St. James 22093
- St. John the Baptist 22095
- St. Landry 22097
- St. Martin 22099
- St. Mary 22101
- St. Tammany 22103
- Tangipahoa 22105
- Terrebonne 22109
- Union 22111
- Vermilion 22113
- Vernon 22115
- Washington 22117
- Webster 22119
- West Feliciana 22125
- Winn 22127
Maryland view state ↗ 2 N ▾
Mississippi view state ↗ 33 N ▾
- Adams 28001
- Amite 28005
- Choctaw 28019
- Copiah 28029
- Covington 28031
- Forrest 28035
- Franklin 28037
- George 28039
- Greene 28041
- Hancock 28045
- Harrison 28047
- Hinds 28049
- Jackson 28059
- Jasper 28061
- Jefferson 28063
- Jefferson Davis 28065
- Jones 28067
- Kemper 28069
- Lauderdale 28075
- Lawrence 28077
- Lincoln 28085
- Marion 28091
- Newton 28101
- Pearl River 28109
- Perry 28111
- Pike 28113
- Rankin 28121
- Scott 28123
- Smith 28129
- Stone 28131
- Washington 28151
- Wayne 28153
- Wilkinson 28157
New Jersey view state ↗ 10 N ▾
North Carolina view state ↗ 44 N ▾
- Beaufort 37013
- Bertie 37015
- Bladen 37017
- Brunswick 37019
- Carteret 37031
- Chowan 37041
- Columbus 37047
- Craven 37049
- Cumberland 37051
- Dare 37055
- Duplin 37061
- Edgecombe 37065
- Franklin 37069
- Gates 37073
- Greene 37079
- Halifax 37083
- Harnett 37085
- Hertford 37091
- Hoke 37093
- Hyde 37095
- Johnston 37101
- Jones 37103
- Lee 37105
- Lenoir 37107
- Martin 37117
- Moore 37125
- Nash 37127
- New Hanover 37129
- Northampton 37131
- Onslow 37133
- Orange 37135
- Pamlico 37137
- Pender 37141
- Pitt 37147
- Richmond 37153
- Robeson 37155
- Sampson 37163
- Scotland 37165
- Tyrrell 37177
- Wake 37183
- Warren 37185
- Washington 37187
- Wayne 37191
- Wilson 37195
South Carolina view state ↗ 26 N ▾
- Aiken 45003
- Allendale 45005
- Bamberg 45009
- Barnwell 45011
- Beaufort 45013
- Berkeley 45015
- Calhoun 45017
- Charleston 45019
- Clarendon 45027
- Colleton 45029
- Darlington 45031
- Dillon 45033
- Dorchester 45035
- Florence 45041
- Georgetown 45043
- Hampton 45049
- Horry 45051
- Jasper 45053
- Kershaw 45055
- Lee 45061
- Lexington 45063
- Marlboro 45069
- Orangeburg 45075
- Richland 45079
- Sumter 45085
- Williamsburg 45089
Texas view state ↗ 47 N ▾
- Anderson 48001
- Angelina 48005
- Aransas 48007
- Bastrop 48021
- Brazoria 48039
- Brazos 48041
- Cameron 48061
- Cass 48067
- Cherokee 48073
- Colorado 48089
- Freestone 48161
- Galveston 48167
- Gonzales 48177
- Hardin 48199
- Harris 48201
- Harrison 48203
- Henderson 48213
- Houston 48225
- Jasper 48241
- Jefferson 48245
- Kleberg 48273
- Leon 48289
- Liberty 48291
- Limestone 48293
- Madison 48313
- Mason 48319
- McLennan 48309
- Milam 48331
- Montgomery 48339
- Morris 48343
- Nacogdoches 48347
- Newton 48351
- Nueces 48355
- Orange 48361
- Polk 48373
- Robertson 48395
- Rusk 48401
- Sabine 48403
- San Jacinto 48407
- San Patricio 48409
- Smith 48423
- Titus 48449
- Trinity 48455
- Tyler 48457
- Upshur 48459
- Walker 48471
- Wood 48499
Virginia view state ↗ 39 N ▾
- Accomack 51001
- Brunswick 51025
- Caroline 51033
- Charles City 51036
- Chesapeake (city) 51550
- Chesterfield 51041
- Dinwiddie 51053
- Essex 51057
- Fairfax 51059
- Gloucester 51073
- Greensville 51081
- Hampton (city) 51650
- Henrico 51087
- Isle of Wight 51093
- James City 51095
- King and Queen 51097
- King George 51099
- King William 51101
- Lancaster 51103
- Mathews 51115
- Mecklenburg 51117
- Middlesex 51119
- New Kent 51127
- Newport News (city) 51700
- Northampton 51131
- Northumberland 51133
- Prince George 51149
- Prince William 51153
- Richmond 51159
- Southampton 51175
- Spotsylvania 51177
- Stafford 51179
- Suffolk (city) 51800
- Surry 51181
- Sussex 51183
- Virginia Beach (city) 51810
- Warren 51187
- Westmoreland 51193
- York 51199
§5Sources & provenance
USDA PLANTS
Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.
plants.usda.gov/MOCE2 ↗GBIF Backbone
Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.
gbif.org/species/3168995 ↗Record version
Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:
usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26
fetched 2026-05-26T20:46:58Z