Sweet Gale scientifically known as Myrica gale is a deciduous shrub belonging to Myricaceae (Bayberry family). The plant is native throughout western and northern Europe, from Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands to Scandinavia. It also occurs in France, Germany, and Poland and across the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into eastern Russia. It is distributed throughout much of northern North America, including Alaska, all of Canada, Washington, Oregon and from Minnesota eastwards to New England in the USA, as well as the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. It is found in northern parts of Japan, the Korean peninsula, Sakhalin Island and eastern Siberia. It is listed as endangered in North Carolina and threatened in Pennsylvania. Apart from sweet gale it is also known by several common names including bog gale, Dutch myrtle, moor myrtle, waxberry, bog myrtle, Meadow-fern, Sweet bayberry, Candle berry, Bog myrtle and sweet willow. The plant teams up with a bacterium in its roots that can fix nitrogen. Its fragrant, dark-green leaves and fruits (which attract birds) make it a good planting choice for wet areas of the garden. It is eaten by horses and goats, but not relished by sheep and cows.

Sweet Gale Facts

Sweet Gale Quick Facts
Name:	Sweet Gale
Scientific Name:	Myrica gale
Origin	Throughout western and northern Europe, from Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands to Scandinavia
Colors	Dark red or purple-red at maturity
Shapes	Flattened, egg-shaped nutlets that occur in thick, compact cluster 1/3 to ½ inch long
Taste	Bitter and astringent
Health benefits	Stomach aches, fever, bronchial ailments, liver problems, gonorrhea, tuberculosis, inflamed gums, skin sores and toothache

Name	Sweet Gale
Scientific Name	Myrica gale
Native	Throughout western and northern Europe, from Portugal, Spain, Britain, Ireland and the Netherlands to Scandinavia. It also occurs in France, Germany, Poland and across the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania into eastern Russia. It is distributed throughout much of northern North America, including Alaska, all of Canada, Washington, Oregon and from Minnesota eastwards to New England in the USA, as well as the states of Kentucky and Tennessee. A subspecies (Myrica gale ssp. tomentosa) is found in northern parts of Japan, the Korean peninsula, Sakhalin Island and eastern Siberia. It is listed as endangered in North Carolina and threatened in Pennsylvania
Common Names	Bog gale, Dutch myrtle, moor myrtle, sweet gale, waxberry, bog myrtle, Meadow-fern, Sweet bayberry, Candle berry, Bog myrtle, sweet willow
Name in Other Languages	Arabic: Azuri, Kandool Belarusian: Vaskoŭnik zvyčajny (Васкоўнік звычайны) Bengali: Kayachal Catalan: Murta de Brabant Czech: Voskovník Danish: Mose-pors, pors, Porse Dutch: Gagel, wilde gagel English: Bog gale, Dutch myrtle, moor myrtle, sweet gale, waxberry, bog myrtle, Meadow-fern, Sweet bayberry, Candle berry, Bog myrtle, sweet willow Estonian: Harilik porss, Porss, Lutikarohi, Murdid, Soo kaerad, Rabaumalad Finnish: Suomyrtti French: Bois sent-bon, galé odorant, lorette, myrica gale, myrte bâtard, myrte de Brabant, myrte des marais, piment aquatique, piment royal, poivre du Brabant, romarin du Nord, Myrique baumier, Piment royal, Myrice baumier Gaelic: Rideag Galician: Frundo German: Brabanter Myrte, echter Gagelstrauch, Gagel, Gagelstrauch, Heidegagelstrauch, Heidemyrte, Mäusemyrte, Sumpfmyrte, Torfgagelstrauch, Post, Moor-Gagel, Torf-Gagel Greek: Mirtia kollodis (Μυρτιά κολλώδης), Myrtia kollodis Gujarati: Kayaphal Hebrew: מיריקה מיצנפתית, Mirika miznafit Hindi: Kayaphal Hungarian: Fenyérmirtusz, Mirikacserje, Viaszbogyó Icelandic: Mjaðarlyng Irish: Raideog Italian: Mirto bastardo, mirto di Brabante, mortarella brabantica, Mirica Japanese: Yachiyanagi (ヤチヤナギ), Seiyouyachiyanagi (セイヨウヤチヤナギ), Gǔdì liǔ (谷地柳), Ya Chiya nagi (やちやなぎ) Kannada: Kirishivani Kazakh: Balsipi (Балсірі) Latvian: Balzamkārkls, parastā purvmirte, Purvmirtes Lithuanian: Pajūrinis sotvaras Malayalam: Maruth, miṟaika geyl (മിറൈക ഗെയ്ൽ) Marathi: Kayaphal Northern Sami: Riddorissi, Sarvvarissi Norwegian: Pors, Post Polish: Woskownica europejska Portuguese: Alecrim-do-norte, samouco-de-brabante Russian: Voskovnik bolotnıy (восковник болотный), voskovnik obyknovennyy (восковник обыкновенный), voskovnitsa bolotnaya (восковница болотная), voskovnitsa obyknovennaya (восковница обыкновенная), Voskovnitsa (Восковница), Datskiy mirt (Датский мирт), Voskovnitsa, Datski mirt Scottish Gaelic: Roid Serbian: Voskovac (Восковац) Slovak: Voskovník obyčajný Spanish: Arrayán de Brabante, mirto de Brabante, Mirto holandés Swedish: Pors, Suomyrtti Tamil: Marudam Telugu: Kaidarayamu Ukrainian: Miryka zvychayna (Мірика звичайна) Welsh: Gwyrddling, Helygen Fair Yiddish: Zumpiker vax-hds (זומפּיקער װאַקס־הדס), vax-hds (װאַקס־הדס), Sumpiker vaks-hodes, Vaks-hodes
Plant Growth Habit	Aromatic, shade-intolerant, sub montane to subalpine, circumpolar deciduous single or multi-stemmed shrub
Growing Climates	Wetlands. Throughout its range, it occurs in moist, peaty soils in coastal bogs, swamps, lakeshores, ponds, streams, marshes, fens, wet heathland, estuary edges
Soil	Cultivated on moist acidic soils where few other species can be grown. It thrives best in peaty soils and cannot tolerate liming
Plant Size	About 6 feet tall, with a spread of 6 feet
Stem	Spreading, finely hairy when young, glabrous at maturity, loosely branched
Bark	Spreading, finely hairy when young, glabrous at maturity, loosely branched
Twigs	Slender, dark brown, resin dots may be present, small pointed buds, false end bud
Leaf	Alternate, simple, oblanceolate, 3-6 cm. long and up to 2 cm. broad. Leaf blade is cuneate-obovate or narrowly elliptic-obovate, leathery, glabrous, base wedge-shaped (cuneate), apex obtuse to acute, margin entire or serrate in upper ½.
Flowering season	March to May
Flower	Unisexual, unbranched catkins (aments), with the staminate (male) and pistillate (female) catkins appearing on different plants
Fruit Shape & Size	Flattened, egg-shaped nutlets that occur in thick, compact cluster 1/3 to ½ inch long. Each nutlet is about 1/8 inch long with a stubby beak
Fruit Color	Dark red or purple-red at maturity
Propagation	By seed, layering, or root suckers
Flavor/Aroma	Bitter strong flavor
Taste	Bitter and astringent
Plant Parts Used	Leaves, branches
Available Forms	Extracts, decoction or alcohol-based tinctures
Lifespan	Approximately 30 years
Season	August to September

Plant Description

Sweet gale is an aromatic, shade-intolerant, sub montane to subalpine, circumpolar deciduous single or multi-stemmed shrub that normally grows about 6 feet tall, with a spread of 6 feet. The plant is found growing in wetlands. Throughout its range, it occurs in moist, peaty soils in coastal bogs, swamps, lakeshores, ponds, streams, marshes, fens, wet heathland, and estuary edges. The plant is cultivated on moist acidic soils where few other species can be grown. It thrives best in peaty soils and cannot tolerate liming. Its multiple stems and branches often form dense patches. The plant spreads vegetatively by both branch layering and rooted suckers, often creating large island of plants. Stems are spreading, finely hairy when young, glabrous at maturity and loosely branched. Lower stems are up to about 1 inch diameter with grayish-brown bark. The twigs are slender and hairless, with resin dots. The plant has reddish brown bark with prominent lighter lenticels, turns grayish brown with age. The branchlets are fragrant when bruised.

Leaves

Leaves are alternate, simple, oblanceolate, 3-6 cm. long and up to 2 cm. broad. Leaf blade is cuneate-obovate or narrowly elliptic-obovate, leathery, glabrous, base wedge-shaped (cuneate), apex obtuse to acute, margin entire or serrate in upper ½. Upper surface is dark green while lower is pale green. Both surfaces are heavily dotted with minute bright yellow wax glands and are hairless or with fine hairs.

Flower

Sweet gale’s flowers are small catkins that appear just before the leaves emerge. Male and female flowers are mostly borne separately on different plants (dioecious), sometimes on the same plant (monoecious), in clusters called catkins. Male catkins are formed from the lateral buds at the tips of one-year-old twigs, with 12 to 25 flowers each with a broad, sharply pointed, yellowish to reddish-brown bract and 4 to 8 pale stamens. They are erect and cylindrical, about ¼ to ⅓ inch long; they are yellow with triangular, reddish scales.

The female flowers are slightly smaller. They also form from lateral buds at the tips of one-year-old twigs. They consist of 15 to 25 tiny flowers, each with two red stigmas supported by oval bracts. The effect is that of fluffy, bright red tufts. Throughout its range, Sweet gale flowers in spring to early summer. Flowering normally takes place in between March to May.

Fruits

Fertile flowers are followed by flattened, egg-shaped nutlets that occur in thick, compact cluster 1/3 to ½ inch long. Each nutlet is about 1/8 inch long with a stubby beak. Fruits are enclosed by spongy bractlets that act as flotation devices in water. This aid in their dispersal to other wet habitats. The fruits ripen in July.