A small, multi-branched shrub with leathery aromatic leaves that persist into the winter. Waxy berries on female plants provide an important food source for birds during winter and are used to make bayberry candles. A nitrogen-fixing plant, bayberry does well in poor soils and tends to sucker. Northern bayberry is primarily a dioecious species (male and female flowers on separate plants).
Additional References:
https://plants.usda.gov/DocumentLibrary/plantguide/pdf/pg_mope6.pdf
https://hvp.osu.edu/pocketgardener/source/description/my_anica.html