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Myrica gale
Also called Sweet Gale, Meadow Fern, Sweet Bayberry, Bog Myrtle, Sweet Gale, Sweetgale
Bog-myrtle is an aromatic deciduous shrub, up to about 2 m tall, native to cool temperate bogs and wet heaths of Eurasia and North America. It spreads by root suckers into dense colonies, so it needs permanently moist, acidic ground to thrive.
Myrica gale is a species of flowering plant in the family Myricaceae native to cool temperate regions of Eurasia and North America. Common names include bog-myrtle, sweet gale, Dutch myrtle, and sweetgale.
Use by wildlife:
The foliage has a sweet resinous scent and is a traditional insect repellent, used by campers to keep biting insects out of tents. It is also a traditional component of royal wedding bouquets and is used variously in perfumery and as a condiment.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Myrica gale by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
