Myrica gale (Sweet Gale)

Myrica gale

Myrica gale L.

Gale palustris A. Chev.

Myrica gale L. var. subarctica Rouss.

Myrica gale L. var. subglabra (A. Chev) Fernald

Myrica gale L. var. tomentosa C. DC.

Sweet Gale, Bog-myrtle

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Rosidae	Roses, legumes, proteas, dogwoods, hydrangeas, mistletoes, euphorbias, grapes, many more
Order	Fagales	Birch, she-oak, beech, walnut, bayberry, others
Family	Myricaceae	Bayberry (sweet gale) family
Genus	Myrica	From the Greek μυρικη (myrike), “fragrance”
Species	gale	Etymology unknown, related to Old English gagel

About plant names...

Myrica gale is a shrub native to northern and western Europe and parts of North America. This shrub is usually found in peat bogs, and at the edges of ponds and streams. Its roots contain nitrogen-fixing bacteria, allowing the plant to survive in low-nutrient environments.

Plants: Bushy shrubs reaching 24-48" (60-121 cm) in size. They have a distinctive sweet resinous scent, which once served as an insect repellant for tent-dwelling hikers.

Leaves: Leaves spiral around the branches. Each leaf is dark-green to grayish, smooth-edged, glossy, ⅜-3" (1-8 cm) × ⅛-1" (4-28 mm), oblanceolate. Leaf undersides are paler, with fine hairs.

Flowers: Flowers are inconspicuous catkins, appearing from Mar-May. The species is dioecious: male and female flowers appear on separate plants.

Fruits: Fruits resemble the flowers in size, but they are nutlets, like small cones.

Online References:

Myrica gale on the New England Wildflower Society’s GoBotany site

Myrica gale on Wikipedia

Myrica gale at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Myrica gale on Plants for a Future, a resource and information centre for edible and otherwise useful plants

Myrica gale at Botanical.com

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)

8/27/2010 · Beaver Brook Association Conservation Lands, Hollis, NH
≈ 17 × 12" (44 × 29 cm)

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 15 × 10" (39 × 26 cm)

Myrica gale description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 12 Oct 2018.

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 12" (20 × 31 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 6" (20 × 14 cm)

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 9 × 6" (22 × 14 cm)

9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia Naitonal Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 10 × 7" (25 × 16 cm)

9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)

Range:

About this map...