Specimen plant, hedge plant. Large shrub to small tree. Large, showy, shiny leaves. , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Moderate. Tolerant of salty wind and may get some salt spray. Exposure to salt spray wo , Considertions, Dioecious (separate male and female plants), so both male and female are required to get fruits. Mature fruits are not attractive (young fruits are ni , Wildlife, Fruit is eaten by birds and mammals.  Mockingbirds specifically are reported to enjoy the fruits. , Habitat, Coastal hammocks. , Did You Know?, Showy flowers, Interesting foliage, Hurricane wind resistance Larval host plant for tantalus sphinx (Aellopus tantalus) moths. Nectar plant for mangr

Foliage fragrant when crushed. Bayberry is an actinorhizal plant: its roots feature nitrogen fixing nodules formed in symbiosis with the nitrogen fixi , Tolerance, Not salt tolerant of inundation by salty or brackish water. Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray , Considertions, Clonal: it usually sends up sprouts from its roots to form thickets. The wood is somewhat brittle, but it will grow back if cut to the ground. , Wildlife, Fuits are eaten by birds, especially yellow-rumped warblers (which are very efficient at digesting the waxy fruits), in the fall and winter (NC State , Habitat, Wet sites. Bogs, swamps, flatwoods depressions, cutthroat seeps. , Did You Know?, Aroma, fragrance, Interesting foliage It is a host plant for the Red-banded Hairstreak butterfly  (NC State Extension Service)