PlantWatch

Sweetgale (Myrica gale)

Photo by Memorial University of Newfoundland Botanical Gardens

Also known as: bayberry, english bog myrtle
French name: bois-sent-bon
Bloom time: April to May
Report for: NF

General: Sweetgale is a deciduous shrub (1–1.5 m high) with noticeable brown twigs branching in an alternating pattern.

Leaves & Twigs: The spatula-shaped, hairy leaves are usually rounded at the tip and narrow at the base. They appear after the flowers on this plant.

Flowers & Fruit: Sweetgale produces non-drooping catkins as a flowering structure, with male and female catkins usually on separate plants.
Male flowers: 1–2 cm long, yellow with reddish scales, crowded at the end of each twig.
Female flowers: similar in appearance to male flowers, but are ruby red.

Habitat: Sweetgale grows in wet habitats around ponds, rivers and bogs.

Sampling: Tag a male shrub to observe.

To Observe:

• First bloom: when the catkins on the male shrub first start shedding pollen (three places)
• Mid bloom when 50% of the male catkins have lengthened and shed pollen