Morella Loureiro. Common name: Bayberry, Wax-myrtle, Candleberry.

Key to Morella

Wilbur (1994) makes a compelling case for the recognition of three genera among eastern North American Myricaceae, and for application of the name Myrica to Myrica gale. The typification of the genus Myrica with Myrica gale Linnaeus has been confirmed (Brummitt 1999); thus, the familiar southeastern species placed by many authors in Myrica must take another name. Wilbur (1994) prefers to treat our species as subgenus Cerothamnus (Tidestrom) Wilbur of genus Morella Loureiro; subgenus Morella is restricted to e. Asia, the Philippines, and Malaysia, and differs in a number of ways from subgenus Cerothamnus, including its fleshy and succulent, rather than waxy and hard, berries. Small maintained Cerothamnus at the generic level. Wilbur's inclusion of Cerothamnus in Morella may well be warranted (and is followed here), but I disagree with his provisional decision to include the taxon treated below as Morella pusilla in Morella cerifera, and the taxon treated below as Morella pensylvanica in Morella caroliniensis, though their appropriate rank may be questioned.

References: Bornstein (1997) In Flora of North America Editorial Committee (1997); Herbert (2005); Kubitzki (1993a) In Kubitzki, Rohwer, & Bittrich (1993); Mohr (1901); Weakley & Poindexter (2023) In Weakley et al. (2023); Wilbur (1994); Wilbur (2002a). Show full citations.

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