SHRUBS AND TREES ON THE DUNES
The shrubs and trees found on the dunes are those that grow well in sunlight and can subsist on a small amount of water.
Shrubs of the Dunes
Bayberry (Myrica pensylvanica)
Crush a leaf; note the sweet aromatic odor Small, white, waxy berry in fall
No doubt the Bayberry is familiar to you. Wax from its berries has long been used to make candles, and you may wish to take some berries home to try your hand at this. Boiling them will cause the wax to float on the water. Dip a piece of string (wick) to collect it.
Sweet Gale (Myrica gale) very closely resembles Bayberry but has tiny pine-cone-like fruits instead of white berries. It is very common in the swampy areas on the beach.
Beach Plum (Prunus maritima)
Leaf with many small, sharp-pointed teeth White flowers or purple fruit
This “typical” sea-beach shrub is well known. Its fruit has long been used for “Beach Plum preserve,” a New England favorite. The plums may be collected in late summer. Beach Plum is reasonably common on the back side of Crane’s Beach, high on the dunes. It is often twisted and gnarled from exposure to the winds.
Poison Ivy (Rhus radicans)
Three shiny leaflets Small, white, waxy berries Generally found twisting around another plant
One must admire Poison Ivy. It apparently can live anywhere and survive anything. Beware—for it occurs in patches on the beach. It is very poisonous to the touch, and the best course is to wash thoroughly with a strong soap if you come into contact with it. Some of the worst cases of ivy poisoning may originate at the beach just because people don’t expect to find it here.
Trees of the Dunes
Black Cherry (Prunus serotina)
Leaves finely toothed Twigs bitter when chewed Black cherries in hanging clusters
Cherries are usually considered lovers of rich soils, but this member of the family is quite common on the dunes. It is always contorted here, and frequently diseased, but still it survives. Generally it is found with large swellings on the branches caused by the black cherry knot fungus, since it is highly susceptible to this infection. The cherries are edible, and you may or may not enjoy them. Try one and see.
Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides)
Broad, heart-shaped leaves Stem of leaf is flat; leaf shakes easily Smooth gray or yellow-green bark
The Aspen thrives in sunlight and dry soil. It grows and dies quickly. It is called a “Quaking” Aspen because its flattened leaf stems allow its leaves to shake even in the gentlest breeze. It is often called a Poplar tree, or just “Popple.”
Pitch Pine (Pinus rigida)
Evergreen; with needles Needles grouped in bunches of three Pine cones under 3″ in length
This picturesque pine grows well in sterile soil. It is small, gnarled, contorted, and of little commercial value. It serves a twofold purpose here—anchoring the soil and supplying seeds for a great variety of birds and animals.