Bayberry

About Bayberry

The berries produce a fragrant wax used in bayberry candles, one of the oldest candle types in America. Colonial Americans made bayberry candles for Christmas - they burn with a bright flame and pleasant scent. The bark is astringent and was used medicinally by Native Americans. It fixes nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility. It is dioecious - male and female flowers are on separate plants. It thrives in poor, sandy soil and salt spray. It is native to eastern North America. The wax is hard and brittle, making candles that last. The fruit is technically a drupe, not a berry.