A small, aromatic mound-shaped shrub, 2-4 ft. tall, occurring in dense colonies. Multiple stems with loose, spreading branches. Long, narrow, olive-green leaves, the edges of which have rolled back edges and rounded, fern-like division.
Flowers are brown catkins that appear before the leaves unfold. A small nut is enclosed in a bur-like husk. Sweet-fern is a member of the wax-myrtle or bayberry family, which occurs nearly worldwide, with about 40 species of small trees and shrubs; 5 native tree species and 3 shrub species in North America. The leaves are very aromatic when crushed.
Straight Species