Cedar Creek Natural History Area

Plants of Cedar Creek

Two  members of this family common  in northern Minnesota are Comptonia peregrina (Sweet Fern) and Myrica gale (Sweet Gale).  Sweet Fern is common in pine barrens while Sweet Gale is common along pond and river edges.  "The foliage has orange resinous dots and exude a spicy-aromatic fragrance when crushed.  Their roots have nitrogen fixing nodules as in the Fabaceae.  Both species are alternate hosts for sweetfern rust which causes stem cankers in jack and red pine'--Voss (1985).  The range of neither extends as far south as CCNHA.