Skip to main content

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Florida 4-H Forest Ecology

Identifying Characteristics

Size/Form: Wax myrtle grows as an evergreen shrub or small tree and can reach 20 to 40 feet in height, 8 to 10 inches in diameter. Individual plants may have a narrow, rounded crown but multi-stemmed clumps often display wide, rounded crowns.
Leaves: Leaves are simple, alternate, and persistent. The leaves are 2 to 4 inches long, ½ inch wide, elliptical in shape, with an acute apex and wedge-shaped base. Leaf margins are coarsely serrate-toothed. Leaves are yellow-green with small dark glands above and bright orange glands below. When bruised or crushed, they give off an aromatic odor. Petioles are short and stout.
Twigs: The twigs are slender, becoming dark brown and glabrous in their second season. The pith homogeneous.
Bark: The bark is thin, smooth, and gray-green with gray patches.
Flowers: The flowers of this plant are dioecious. They occur in oblong catkins.
Fruit: The fruit is a small, light green, round drupe covered with a bluish-white wax. The fruits are borne in clusters, attached to short spikes along the branches. The seeds are small and pale. Fruits mature in autumn and persist until spring.
Similar Trees on the Florida 4-H Forest Ecology Contest List: