Myrica gale

‘Bog Myrtle’. Native, small deciduous shrub. Male and female catkins golden brown. Catkins: April/May. Strongly aromatic. Leaves are infused for tea and added to soups and stews. Will grow in acid boggy swamps.

The flowers are borne in catkins, the male are orange and angled upwards, the female are red and drooping; it is (usually) dioeceous with male and female flowers on separate plants, but occasionally monoecious with both male and female flowers (catkins) on the same plant. Individual plants are also known to have changed sex from year to year.