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THE AMERICAN BOTANIST 



The leaves of the plant also find a use. From them is 

 brewed the decoction known as bayberry tea. This must cer- 

 tainly be a cheap beverage since the plant is very common. 

 The writer noticed large quantities of bayberry along the 



Bayberry Plant and Candle. 



sandy beaches of New Jersey. In many towns it is the com- 

 monest ruderal in the vacant lots.. It seems particularly prolific 

 in the vicinity of Barnegat Bay. 



A close relative of the bayberry, also possessing wax- 

 coated berries, is the wax-myrtle (Myrica Gale), a slender 

 shrub preferring sandy swamps and wet woods. As with its 

 relative, the bayberry, the wax was formerly extensively used 

 in the making of candles. Its leaves have a welcome fragrance 



