NC Native Plant Society:
Plant Details

Morella pumila [= Myrica cerifera var. pumila]

Scientific Name:	Morella pumila [= Myrica cerifera var. pumila]
Genus:	Morella
Species Epithet:	pumila
Common Name:	Dwarf Wax-myrtle, Dwarf Bayberry
Plant Type	Shrub
Life Cycle	Perennial
Plant Family	Myricaceae (Bayberry Family)
Native/Alien:	NC Native
Size:	1-3 ft.
Bloom Color(s):	Green
Light:	Part Shade - 2 to 6 hours of sun per day
Soil Moisture:	Dry, Moist
Bloom Time:	April
Growing Area:	Sandhills, Coastal Plain
Habitat Description:	Savannas, pine flatwoods, relatively moist to extremely dry sites in sandhills (under Quercus laevis and Q. geminata). A Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic (Weakley 2015). Common in NC Coastal Plain. Uncommon in Sandhills and sometimes an escape from cultivation there (Sorrie 2011).
Leaf Arrangement:	Alternate
Leaf Retention:	Evergreen
Leaf Type:	Leaves veined, not needle-like or scale-like
Leaf Form:	Simple
Life Cycle:	Perennial
Wildlife Value:	Has some wildlife value
Landscape Value:	Suitable for home landscapes
State Rank:	S4: Apparently secure ^(*Key)
Global Rank:	GNR: Unknown ^(*Key)
Notes:	There is some disagreement that M. pumila is a separate species from M. cerifera but Weakley's Flora (2011 draft) gives M. pumila species status.
Dwarf Wax-myrtle patch Here it grows as a low, stoloniferous shrub at Carolina Beach State Park. Paynter, 2011
Leaves
Buds