Image to followAI-generated illustrationMyrica gale
Myrica gale
FamilyGenus: Myricanative in Germany
🌿
34
Species
interact
🔗
36
Interactions
documented
🐛
31
Host relationships
Species
About this species
Myrica gale is a native deciduous shrub in Great Britain, typically found in sunny, wet, acidic, nutrient-poor habitats. It flowers in April and May, reaches around 1.4 metres in height, and has partly evergreen leaves. The species is assessed as Vulnerable on the national Red List.
Ecological network
Click to highlight connections · Click again to open the species page
Loading network...
Larval hostFlower visit
Ecological significance
Myrica gale is a native species in Great Britain and does not have documented negative ecological impacts. It forms part of wet heath and bog communities.
Annual cycle
Flowers appear in April and May.
Standort & Merkmale
Light
Sonne
Moisture
Feucht
Soil
—
Flowering period
Apr – Mai
Bioregion
Continental
Growth form
Strauch/Baum
Woodiness
Verholzt
Leaf type
Breitblättrig
Leaf phenology
Teils immergrün
Plant height
1.412 m
Morphological traits: TRY ID3 (CC BY 3.0) & TRY ID81 (CC BY)
Pflege & Anbau
Provide a sunny site with permanently moist to wet, strongly acidic, low-nutrient soil. The shrub is adapted to low-disturbance settings and is best left undisturbed once established. It is suitable for bog gardens or pond margins.
Scientific profile
This woody shrub attains a height of about 1.4 metres, with broad leaves averaging 145 mm² in area. Diaspores weigh roughly 1.15 mg. The plant associates with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. It grows on strongly acid, nutrient-poor substrates that remain wet, in full sun and under low disturbance. Leaf phenology is partly evergreen, and the species is adapted to moderately warm temperatures. In Great Britain it is classified as Vulnerable.
Host relationships
31 species use this plant as a host
Macrothylacia rubiOperophtera brumataMacaria alternataAgriopis aurantiariaCleora cinctariaEuproctis similisDiacrisia sannioPolia hepaticaCeramica pisiXestia castaneaEmaturga atomariaXylena vetustaXestia bajaCrocallis elinguariaEurois occultaMniotype adustaNoctua comes HübnerPapestra birenSelenia dentariaColotois pennariaAgriopis marginariaEupithecia satyrataOrthosia gracilisLacanobia contiguaSaturnia pavoniaOrgyia antiquaAcronicta menyanthidisXylena exsoletaAcronicta rumicisLymantria disparBiston betularia
Other flower visitors
3 other species visit the flowers
Sources & data origin
•Interaktionsdaten via GloBI (CC-BY 4.0)
•Cook et al. (2025) UK Butterfly & Moth Traits (DOI: 10.5285/dbc7cc17-cbbd-49dd-bab4-8e8855768d66)
•FloraWeb / BfN
•EIVE 1.0 — Dengler et al. (2023), DOI: 10.3897/VCS.98324 (CC BY 4.0)
•GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — GBIF Secretariat (2024), DOI: 10.15468/39omei (CC BY 4.0)
•TRY Categorical Traits (ID3) — Kattge et al. (2012), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.3 (CC BY 3.0)
•TRY Global Spectrum (ID81) — Díaz et al. (2016/2021), DOI: 10.17871/TRY.81 (CC BY)
•Govaerts R et al. (2025) — World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP) v14. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. DOI: 10.34885/xs7h-ze42 (CC BY 4.0)
All data is licensed under CC BY 4.0, CC0, or compatible terms. Attribution according to license conditions. Full source overview →