Myrica gale

<h2 id="description">Description</h2>
Myrica gale is a <a href="/facts/Deciduous/7jQHVtdd">deciduous</a> <a href="/facts/Shrub/X1gKVxL5">shrub</a> growing to 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet) tall and 1 m wide.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4">4</a> The <a href="/facts/Leaves/1m6wCNTg">leaves</a> are spirally arranged, simple, 2–5 centimetres (3⁄4–2 inches) long, <a href="/facts/Leaf_shape/GfSyEn7C">oblanceolate</a> with a tapered base and broader tip, and a crinkled or finely toothed margin. The red–orange flowers are <a href="/facts/Catkin/PPE9klav">catkins</a>, with male and female catkins on separate plants (<a href="/facts/Dioecious/jwMHLkuM">dioecious</a>). The fruit is a small, waxy <a href="/facts/Drupe/WrnGMPSa">drupe</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5">5</a>

<h2 id="distribution-and-habitat">Distribution and habitat</h2>
Bog-myrtle is distributed throughout parts of the <a href="/facts/Northern_Hemisphere/EFwyqL25">Northern Hemisphere</a>, including <a href="/facts/Japan/U5mz0SRT">Japan</a>, <a href="/facts/North_Korea/Q41laakP">North Korea</a>, <a href="/facts/Russia/jfkCwyxn">Russia</a>, <a href="/facts/Mainland_Europe/EXR4F23f">mainland Europe</a>, the <a href="/facts/British_Isles/4fBquvMU">British Isles</a>, Canada and the United States.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6">6</a>
It typically grows in acidic <a href="/facts/Peat_bogs/LuPbb2qV">peat bogs</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7">7</a> and to cope with these difficult <a href="/facts/Nitrogen/Nf1QpGDz">nitrogen</a>-poor growing conditions, the roots have <a href="/facts/Nitrogen-fixing/TeLoBpWS">nitrogen-fixing</a> <a href="/facts/Actinobacteria/vBImrRr7">actinobacteria</a> which enable the plants to grow.

<h2 id="ecology">Ecology</h2>

Sweetgale can grow in a narrow band in the <a href="/facts/Intertidal_zone/grnBDVQ3">intertidal zone</a>, especially if logs have been washed into the estuary on which to establish itself. It is a favorite food of <a href="/facts/Beaver/uoJ2xU4D">beavers</a>, and low beaver dams can be found in the intertidal zone if sufficient sweetgale is present. The ponds thus formed are often completely submerged at high tide but retain enough water at low tide to provide refuge for fish. If too deep for predation by wading birds, juvenile salmon may flourish.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8">8</a>

<h2 id="uses">Uses</h2>
The foliage has a sweet <a href="/facts/Resin/r1uVThQ8">resinous</a> scent and is a traditional <a href="/facts/Insect_repellent/a5wpJeTr">insect repellent</a>, 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 <a href="/facts/Condiment/KnnUnv0o">condiment</a>.
In <a href="/facts/Scotland/VGwbbxB2">Scotland</a>, UK, it has been traditionally used to ward off the <a href="/facts/Highland_midge/fL4ugMvk">Highland midge</a>,<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9">9</a> and it is marketed as an insect repellent and as an ingredient in some soaps.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10">10</a>

<h3>Food and medicine</h3>
The leaves can be dried to make tea, and both the nutlets and leaves can be used (either chopped or dried) to make a seasoning.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:11" href="#fn:11">11</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:12" href="#fn:12">12</a>
In north-western Europe (Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands), it was much used in a mixture called <a href="/facts/Gruit/59YDqPYz">gruit</a> as a flavouring for beer from the <a href="/facts/Middle_Ages/RqzEKB9v">Middle Ages</a> to the 16th century, but it fell into disuse after <a href="/facts/Hops/mBRf6xGx">hops</a> supplanted gruit herbs for political and economic reasons.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:13" href="#fn:13">13</a><a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:14" href="#fn:14">14</a> In modern times, some brewers have revisited this historic technique and in Denmark and Sweden the plant is commonly used to prepare home-flavoured <a href="/facts/Schnaps/mwCA6wGa">schnaps</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:15" href="#fn:15">15</a>
In some <a href="/facts/Native_Canadian/27LEvndw">native</a> cultures in <a href="/facts/Eastern_Canada/du5rkgDh">Eastern Canada</a>, the plant has been used as a traditional remedy for stomach aches, fever, bronchial ailments, and liver problems. "The Creole Doctor", an 1886 article by <a href="/facts/Lafcadio_Hearn/K8se6yEX">Lafcadio Hearn</a>, discusses the uses of the plant, known locally as "cirier batard", in Louisiana creole folk remedies.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:16" href="#fn:16">16</a>
In 2007 there were plans to increase production of the plant in Scotland for use as an <a href="/facts/Essential_oil/cq8V5ocP">essential oil</a> for treating sensitive skin and <a href="/facts/Acne/TKJxhHSd">acne</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:17" href="#fn:17">17</a> The plant has been listed as an <a href="/facts/Abortifacient/0AUdsyG8">abortifacient</a> and therefore should not be consumed by women who are, or might be, pregnant.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:18" href="#fn:18">18</a>

<h2 id="in-culture">In culture</h2>
<a href="/facts/Queen_Victoria/CgxSlQ4g">Queen Victoria</a> was given a sprig of bog-myrtle which she planted on the <a href="/facts/Isle_of_Wight/3mWfGanJ">Isle of Wight</a>. Her daughter used some of the plant that grew in her wedding bouquet, starting a royal tradition.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:19" href="#fn:19">19</a>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Myrica gale.

<ul><li><a href="http://dendro.cnre.vt.edu/dendrology/syllabus/factsheet.cfm?ID=436">VirginiaTech fact sheet</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1">BSBI List 2007 (xls). Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland. Archived from the original (xls) on 2015-06-26. Retrieved 2014-10-17. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20150626140254/http://www.bsbi.org.uk/BSBIList2007.xls" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20150626140254/http://www.bsbi.org.uk/BSBIList2007.xls</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:2">Walker, Marilyn (2008). Wild plants of Eastern Canada : identifying, harvesting and using : includes recipes & medicinal uses. Halifax, N.S.: Nimbus Pub. ISBN 9781551096155. OCLC 190965401. <a href="9781551096155" target="_blank">9781551096155</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:3">NRCS. "Myrica gale". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 15 July 2015. <a href="/wiki/Natural_Resources_Conservation_Service" target="_blank">/wiki/Natural_Resources_Conservation_Service</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:4">Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6. <a href="978-1-4729-8474-6" target="_blank">978-1-4729-8474-6</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:5">Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6. <a href="978-1-4729-8474-6" target="_blank">978-1-4729-8474-6</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:6">"Myrica gale". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. <a href="https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=24842" target="_blank">https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=24842</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:7">Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6. <a href="978-1-4729-8474-6" target="_blank">978-1-4729-8474-6</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:8">Hood, W. Gregory (2012). "Beaver in tidal marshes: dam effects on low-tide channel pools and fish use of estuarine habitat". Wetlands. 32 (3): 408. Bibcode:2012Wetl...32..401H. doi:10.1007/s13157-012-0294-8. S2CID 17127896. Retrieved 11 June 2016. <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257797003" target="_blank">https://www.researchgate.net/publication/257797003</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:9">Kelbie, Paul (12 February 2007). "Scotland's bog myrtle to fuel second oil boom". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Archived <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080522084525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/scotlands-bog-myrtle-to-fuel-second-oil-boom-436096.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080522084525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/scotlands-bog-myrtle-to-fuel-second-oil-boom-436096.html</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:10">Evans, Emyr (27 September 2012). "It's Not Just about Our Ospreys". Liverpool Daily Post.[dead link‍] <a href="https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-312742130" target="_blank">https://www.questia.com/read/1G1-312742130</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:11">Francis-Baker, Tiffany (2021). Concise Foraging Guide. The Wildlife Trusts. London: Bloomsbury. p. 82. ISBN 978-1-4729-8474-6. <a href="978-1-4729-8474-6" target="_blank">978-1-4729-8474-6</a> <a href="#fnref:11" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:12">Elias, Thomas S.; Dykeman, Peter A. (2009) [1982]. Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods. New York: Sterling. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-4027-6715-9. OCLC 244766414. <a href="978-1-4027-6715-9" target="_blank">978-1-4027-6715-9</a> <a href="#fnref:12" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:13">"Gale (Myrica gale L.)". Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages. Retrieved 10 February 2014. <a href="http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Myri_gal.html" target="_blank">http://gernot-katzers-spice-pages.com/engl/Myri_gal.html</a> <a href="#fnref:13" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:14">Justyna, Wubs-Mrozewicz (2005). Hopped Beer as an innovation; The Bergen Beer Market around 1200-1600 in the European Context. H. Brand (ed.) Trade, Diplomacy and Cultural Exchange, (2005) pp. 152-168 <a href="#fnref:14" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:15">Patrick E. McGovern, Gretchen R. Hall, Armen Mirzoian, "A biomolecular archaeological approach to Nordic grog" in Danish Journal of Archaeology (2013) pp. 112-131, see p. 124 <a href="https://www.academia.edu/43367436/A_biomolecular_archaeological_approach_to_Nordic_grog" target="_blank">https://www.academia.edu/43367436/A_biomolecular_archaeological_approach_to_Nordic_grog</a> <a href="#fnref:15" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:16">Hearn, Lafcadio (January 3, 1886). "The Creole Doctor: Some Curiosities of Medicine in Louisiana". New-York Tribune. <a href="/wiki/New-York_Tribune" target="_blank">/wiki/New-York_Tribune</a> <a href="#fnref:16" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:17">Kelbie, Paul (12 February 2007). "Scotland's bog myrtle to fuel second oil boom". The Independent. Archived from the original on 22 May 2008. Retrieved 10 February 2014.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) Archived <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20080522084525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/scotlands-bog-myrtle-to-fuel-second-oil-boom-436096.html" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20080522084525/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/scotlands-bog-myrtle-to-fuel-second-oil-boom-436096.html</a> <a href="#fnref:17" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:18">"Myrica gale". Plants For A Future. Retrieved 10 February 2014. <a href="http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Myrica+gale" target="_blank">http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Myrica+gale</a> <a href="#fnref:18" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
<li id="fn:19">"Princess Beatrice's Wedding Echoed Meghan and Kate's in a Sweet Way". 21 July 2020. <a href="https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a33382549/princess-beatrice-wedding-bouquet-meghan-markle-kate-middleton/" target="_blank">https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a33382549/princess-beatrice-wedding-bouquet-meghan-markle-kate-middleton/</a> <a href="#fnref:19" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></li>
</ol>

Myrica gale open-in-new

Myrica gale