WAX MYRTLE or CANDLEBERRY, popular names of species of Myrica, especially M. cerifera and M. carolinensis (bay-berry or wax-berry), small shrubs native to eastern North America, the fruits of which have a waxy covering and are utilized as a source of vegetable wax, used especially in New England for making candles. The Sierra wax myrtle or sweet bay (M. Hart
wegii) is a similar shrub found in the Sierra Nevada mountains; the western wax myrtle (M. californica), a large evergreen shrub with resinous wax-covered fruit, occurs along the coast from Los Angeles to Washington. M. Gale is the native British gale or sweet gale (q.v.). Rhus succedanea is the wax-tree of Japan.