Yamamomo (red bayberry)

Morella rubra

Deep red, juicy berries in June; like its cousin the bayberry, it fixes nitrogen in root nodules.

Type: small tree · fruit trees
Hardiness: zones 8 to 10
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 25 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: June to July
From: Southern Japan and China
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food, wildlife, fixing nitrogen in the soil.

Native to: Japan & its islands, East Asia. Hardy in zones 8 to 10.

The story

Yamamomo grows wild in the warm forests of southern Japan and China. In June the trees are hung with deep red berries, eaten fresh or made into wine and syrup, and in Zhejiang its harvest is a festival.

Planting

Full sun or light shade, acid well-drained soil, mild winters. Buy a grafted female tree for fruit.

Growing

An evergreen that fixes its own nitrogen; little feeding needed. Shape it lightly after harvest.

Harvest and use

Pick the berries in early summer the day they ripen; they spoil fast.

What to watch for

Male and female trees are separate. The fruit bruises easily.

See if Yamamomo (red bayberry) fits your yard
Free planner: enter your ZIP for frost dates, climate fit and a sowing calendar. No account, no ads, no tracking cookies.

More fruit trees

General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home