Myrica gale

Myrica gale
Myrica gale foliage and immature fruit
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Division:	Magnoliophyta
Class:	Magnoliopsida
Order:	Fagales
Family:	Myricaceae
Genus:	Myrica
Species:	M. gale
Binomial name
Myrica gale L.

Myrica gale is a species of flowering plant in the genus Myrica, native to northern and western Europe and parts of northern North America. It is a deciduous shrub growing to 1-2 m tall. Common names include Bog Myrtle and Sweet Gale. The leaves are spirally arranged, simple, 2-5 cm long, oblanceolate with a tapered base and broader tip, and a crinkled or finely toothed margin. The flowers are catkins, with male and female catkins on separate plants (dioecious). The fruit is a small drupe.

Male plant with catkins in winter

It typically grows in acidic peat bogs, and to cope with these difficult nitrogen-poor growing conditions, the roots have nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria which enable the plants to grow.

Uses

The foliage has a sweet resinous scent, and is a traditional insect repellent, used by campers to keep biting insects out of tents. It is also a traditional ingredient of Royal Wedding bouquets, and is used variously in perfumery and as a condiment.

In northwestern Europe (Germany, Belgium and Great Britain), it was much used in a mixture called gruit as a flavouring for beer from the Middle Ages to the 16th century, but it fell into disuse after hops had become widely available. Danish brewery Thisted Bryghus produces Porse Guld, a strong beer flavoured with the plant. Beau's All Natural Brewing Company, of Vankleek Hill, ON, Canada, produces 'Bog Water', a seasonal strong ale made with sweet gale from Northern Quebec.^[1] The Biddy Early Brewery in County Clare, Ireland use it in making their Red Biddy Ale.

In Sweden, the plant is commonly used to prepare home-flavoured snaps. This special flavouring is also produced commercially by Reimersholm.

Boots chemist are planning to increase production of the plant in Scotland for use as an essential oil for treating sensitive skin and acne.^[2] It is also marketed by Totally Herby of Scotland ^[3] as an insect repellent, and by The Highland Soap Company ^[4] as a soap.

In some native cultures in Eastern Canada, the plant has been used as a traditional remedy for stomach aches, fever, bronchial ailments and liver problems. It has also been used to enhance the lucidity of dreams.[1]. In Scotland it has been traditionally used to ward off the dreaded midge. "The Creole Doctor," an 1886 article by Lafcadio Hearn, discusses the uses of the plant, known locally as "cirier batard," in Louisiana creole folk remedies.^[5]

Sweet Gale can grow in a narrow band in the intertidal zone, especially if it has some logs, washed down into the estuary on which to establish itself. It is a favorite food of beavers and low beaver dams can be found in the intertidal zone if sufficient sweet gale is present. The ponds thus formed are often completely submerged at high tide but retain water at low tide and provide deep enough water to provide a refuge for fish, including juvenile salmon where the water is too deep for predation by wading birds. Thus the presence of Sweet Gale can enhance salmon recruitment.^{[citation needed]}

Cautions

Myrica gale is listed as an abortifacient and, therefore, should not be consumed by women who are, or might be, pregnant.^[6][7]

Gallery

Illustration from Thomé 1885

male catkins

female catkins

Shrubs

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Myrica gale

• Gernot Katzer's Spice Pages
• fact sheet
• Plants For A Future
• Bog Myrtle in Northern Ireland