Xi Mountain Bayberries

Xi Mountain Bayberries

　　Bayberries belong to the tree species of the Myrica genus. Also known as sacred bayberry, white-tip bayberry, or tree bayberry, they have high medicinal and edible value, and are distributed across East China as well as in Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, and other regions. Additionally, there is an actress and two university professors named Yang Mei.

Introduction to Bayberries

A general term for several shrubs and small trees of the genus Myrica (Myricaceae), especially the Pennsylvania bayberry (M. pennsylvanica). The berries of the Pennsylvania bayberry are gray and waxy; the wax obtained by boiling them can be used to make bayberry candles, hence it is also called the candle tree. The California bayberry (M. californica) is planted as an ornamental plant in sandy loam in warm climates.

Morphological Characteristics

Evergreen shrub or small tree. Bark is gray; twigs are nearly hairless. Leaves are leathery, obovate-lanceolate or obovate-oblong, 6–11 cm long and 1.5–3 cm wide, entire, with densely golden-yellow glands on the underside. Flowers are unisexual and dioecious; male inflorescences are spike-like, solitary or clustered in several bundles from leaf axils, 1–2 cm long; bracteoles are semicircular, with 4–6 stamens; female inflorescences are solitary in leaf axils, 5–15 mm long, densely covered with imbricate bracts, each bract bearing one female flower, with four bracteoles per female flower; ovary is ovoid. The drupe is spherical, 10–15 mm in diameter, with small warty protrusions, turning deep red, purple-red, or white when ripe, and has a sweet-sour taste. Flowering occurs in April, fruiting in June–July. The fruit is a well-known delicacy, a specialty of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, with many cultivated varieties.

Landscape Application

When the fruits ripen, their bright dots create a lovely and splendid sight, making it an excellent ornamental fruit tree. Suitable for planting in clusters or rows along roadsides, lawns, or for use as space dividers, it also serves as a concealing green wall. It is also an excellent species for greening industrial and mining areas and for urban sound insulation.