Myrica gale

L.

Sweet Bayberry

G5Secure Found in 48 roadless areas NatureServe Explorer →
G5SecureGlobal Rank
Least concernIUCN
LowThreat Impact
Identity
Unique IDELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.136136
Element CodePDMCC02040
Record TypeSPECIES
ClassificationSpecies
Classification StatusStandard
Name CategoryVascular Plant
IUCNLeast concern
Endemicoccurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations
KingdomPlantae
PhylumAnthophyta
ClassDicotyledoneae
OrderMyricales
FamilyMyricaceae
GenusMyrica
Synonyms
Gale palustrisChev.
Other Common Names
Myrique baumier (FR) Sweetgale (EN) sweetgale (EN)
Concept Reference
Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
Taxonomic Comments
FNA (vol. 3, 1997) lumps subspecific taxa.
Conservation Status
Rank Method Rank calculation - Biotics v2
Review Date2024-08-20
Change Date1983-10-11
Edition Date2024-08-20
Edition AuthorsNordman, C. (2024).
Threat ImpactLow
Range Extent>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
Number of Occurrences> 300
Rank Reasons
Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) has a circumboreal distribution, it occurs in North America, western and northern Europe, and northeast Asia. It occurs across Canada, in the northern United States, in Alaska and as far south as North Carolina and Oregon. There are estimated to be more than 6000 occurrences. It may be threatened by the loss of wetland habitat, such as from drainage or the impoundment of streams and rivers for dams.
Range Extent Comments
Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) has a circumboreal distribution, it occurs in North America, western and northern Europe, and northeast Asia. It occurs across Canada, in the northern United States, in Alaska and as far south as North Carolina and Oregon, in Europe in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and from Portugal and Spain to Norway, Sweden, Estonia, Finland and northwestern Russia, and in northeast Asia in Hokkaido, Japan and Sakhalin and Kamchatka in the Russian Far-east. Range extent was estimated to be 30 million square kilometers using herbarium specimens and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024 (FNA 1997, GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, POWO 2024).
Occurrences Comments
By applying a 1 km separation distance to herbarium records and photo-based observations documented between 1993 and 2024, there are estimated to be more than 6000 occurrences of Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) rangewide (GBIF 2024, iNaturalist 2024, SEINet 2024).
Threat Impact Comments
Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) may be threatened by the loss of wetland habitat, such as from drainage or the impoundment of streams and rivers for dams.
Ecology & Habitat

Habitat

Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) occurs in coastal and inland swamps, bogs, and along the borders of lakes, ponds, and streams at elevations of 0-670 meters (FNA 1997).

Ecology

Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) is has nodules with symbionts of a variety of Frankia strains, which promote the fixation of nitrogen.

Reproduction

Sweet Bayberry (Myrica gale) flowers in spring to early summer and fruits in summer (FNA 1997).
Palustrine Habitats
SCRUB-SHRUB WETLANDBog/fenRiparian
Other Nations (2)
CanadaN5
ProvinceRankNative
Nova ScotiaS5Yes
AlbertaS3Yes
New BrunswickS5Yes
Northwest TerritoriesS4Yes
Prince Edward IslandS5Yes
NunavutS4Yes
Island of NewfoundlandS5Yes
OntarioS5Yes
LabradorS5Yes
Yukon TerritoryS3Yes
ManitobaS5Yes
SaskatchewanS4Yes
British ColumbiaS5Yes
QuebecS5Yes
United StatesN5
ProvinceRankNative
VirginiaS1Yes
New HampshireSNRYes
VermontS5Yes
WashingtonSNRYes
New JerseyS3Yes
MinnesotaSNRYes
North CarolinaS1Yes
MichiganSNRYes
PennsylvaniaS2Yes
OregonS1Yes
WisconsinSNRYes
MaineSNRYes
New YorkS5Yes
AlaskaSNRYes
MassachusettsSNRYes
Rhode IslandSNRYes
ConnecticutSNRYes
Threat Assessments
ThreatScopeSeverityTiming
7 - Natural system modificationsSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)
7.2 - Dams & water management/useSmall (1-10%)Serious or 31-70% pop. declineHigh (continuing)

Plant Characteristics
DurationDECIDUOUS
Economic Value (Genus)No
Roadless Areas (48)
Alaska (31)
AreaForestAcres
Bering LakeChugach National Forest965,076
Boston BarChugach National Forest53,617
ChichagofTongass National Forest555,858
Chilkat-West Lynn CanalTongass National Forest199,772
Chugach-13Chugach National Forest13,337
College FiordChugach National Forest1,130,818
Copper River WetlandsChugach National Forest85,972
Douglas IslandTongass National Forest28,065
EudoraTongass National Forest195,022
Fidalgo-GravinaChugach National Forest257,968
GravinaTongass National Forest37,381
HyderTongass National Forest121,723
Johnson PassChugach National Forest152,508
Juneau UrbanTongass National Forest101,581
Juneau-Skagway IcefieldTongass National Forest1,187,268
Kenai MountainsChugach National Forest306,600
Mansfield PeninsulaTongass National Forest54,991
Nellie JuanChugach National Forest713,697
Prince William Sound Is.Chugach National Forest118,698
ResurrectionChugach National Forest224,615
RhineTongass National Forest23,010
Roaded DonutChugach National Forest968
SarkarTongass National Forest51,908
Sheridan GlacierChugach National Forest224,683
South KruzofTongass National Forest55,193
South KuiuTongass National Forest62,452
South RevillaTongass National Forest52,105
Taku-SnettishamTongass National Forest664,928
Twenty MileChugach National Forest198,775
Upper SitukTongass National Forest16,789
Yakutat ForelandsTongass National Forest323,648
Minnesota (5)
AreaForestAcres
Baker - Homer - Brule LakesSuperior National Forest6,712
Brule Lake - Eagle MountainSuperior National Forest12,380
Cabin CreekSuperior National Forest6,071
Kawishiwi Lake To SawbillSuperior National Forest15,305
Tait LakeSuperior National Forest6,327
New Hampshire (11)
AreaForestAcres
Cherry MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,766
Dartmouth RangeWhite Mountain National Forest9,233
Great Gulf Ext.White Mountain National Forest15,110
KearsargeWhite Mountain National Forest4,554
Kinsman MountainWhite Mountain National Forest8,999
Mt. Wolf - Gordon PondWhite Mountain National Forest11,846
PemigewassetWhite Mountain National Forest32,255
Pemigewasset ExtWhite Mountain National Forest15,840
Presidential - Dry River ExtWhite Mountain National Forest10,555
Sandwich RangeWhite Mountain National Forest16,797
Wild RiverWhite Mountain National Forest46,878
Vermont (1)
AreaForestAcres
Griffith Lake 09084Green Mountain and Finger Lakes National Forests1,833
References (5)
  1. Flora of North America Editorial Committee (FNA). 1997. Flora of North America north of Mexico. Vol. 3. Magnoliophyta: Magnoliidae and Hamamelidae. Oxford Univ. Press, New York. xxiii + 590 pp.
  2. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF). 2024. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) data portal. Online. Available: https://www.gbif.org/ (accessed 2024).
  3. iNaturalist. 2024. Online. Available: https://www.inaturalist.org (accessed 2024).
  4. Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
  5. Plants of the World Online (POWO). 2024. Plants of the World Online. Facilitated by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Online. Available: https://powo.science.kew.org/ (accessed 2024).