Myrica gale
Myrica gale is known as sweet gale and has aromatic foliage. It is a tough, super hardy shrub for wet locations.
If you’ve ever been swimming or canoeing on a lake in BC (or across Canada for that matter) and you’ve seen a shrub growing right in the water along the shore, chances are it was sweetgale (Myrica gale) which is also known as bog-myrtle, sweet willow, or Dutch myrtle. It is a tough, super hardy shrub for wet locations that will spread by underground suckers and would work admirably to prevent shoreline erosion. It has catkins like a willow that are yellowish green. The leaves have a sweet resinous scent and is used as an insect repellent. Parts of the plant have also been used as a remedy and as a flavouring for foods.
Common Name: Sweetgale
Family: Myricaceae (The Bayberry Family)
Zone Hardiness: 2-8
Light: Full Sun, Part Sun
Height: 4-6'
Width: 3-5'
Primary Bloom Colour: Green
Secondary Bloom Colour: Yellow
Foliage Colour: Green
Class: Deciduous
Type: Shrub
Bloom Time:
Soil Moisture: Average, Moist
Stem Colour:
Fragrance: Yes
Berries:
Benefits:
Deer Resistant: Unknown
BC Native: No
Native Habitat: Swamps, bogs, fens, lakeshores and estuary edges at low elevations into the mountains from Alaska to Newfoundland and south into the US. Also found in Eurasia.
Award: AGM
Geographical Origin:
