Maleberry
Lyonia ligustrina Shrub Zones 5–9 6–12 ft
Shares the coast, stream banks, sandy barrens, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Wax Myrtle
Morella cerifera. Shrub, 6 to 40 feet, zones 7 to 10; full sun, part shade or shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow wax myrtle, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Southern wax myrtle, eastern bayberry |
|---|---|
| Form | Shrub |
| Height, feet | 6 to 40 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 10 |
| Zones | 7 to 10 |
| Sun | Full sun, part shade or shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Fast |
| Leaves | Evergreen |
| Traits | Wildlife value, honey tree, hedge or screen, nitrogen fixing, street tree, erosion control |
| Flowers | March to June |
| Fruit | Drupes, August to February |
| Pollination | Separate male and female plants. Wax myrtle plants are male or female, and only females bear the waxy berries, so a female needs a male nearby. |
| Planting season | Spring. Its one source speaks of dune plantings on the Florida coast, set in low spots between the dunes. |
| Black walnut | Not named on the Morton Arboretum's lists |
| Ground | The coast, stream banks, sandy barrens, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 14 states |
Wax myrtle is native in 14 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in West Virginia, where it is naturalized, not native, and as introduced in Hawaii.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its height How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These shrubs we grow share the most of wax myrtle's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Inkberry
Ilex glabra Shrub Zones 4–10 5–10 ft
Shares the coast, sandy barrens, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Possumhaw Viburnum
Viburnum nudum Shrub Zones 5–9 5–12 ft
Shares the coast, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Swamp Doghobble
Eubotrys racemosa Shrub Zones 5–9 4–10 ft
Shares the coast, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet)
Clethra alnifolia Shrub Zones 4–9 4–8 ft
Shares the coast, stream banks, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Northern Bayberry
Morella pensylvanica Shrub Zones 3–7 5–10 ft
Shares the coast, sandy barrens, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, UF/IFAS Extension and the USDA PLANTS Database.