Northern Bayberry is a native semi-evergreen shrub of the northeastern coastal plain, growing 5–12 feet tall with aromatic, leathery leaves and clusters of waxy gray berries. The waxy coating of the berries, extracted by boiling, was historically used to make fragrant bayberry candles, a colonial American tradition. Its dense thickets stabilize coastal dunes and provide critical winter food for yellow-rumped warblers, which are among the few birds that can digest the waxy fruit.
Habitat
Coastal dunes, sandy barrens, old fields, rocky shorelines
Diet
Berries eaten by yellow-rumped warblers, tree swallows, and other birds; nitrogen-fixing root nodules enrich soil
How common
Common
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