Emily Dickinson Lexicon

CAN'DLE-BER-RY-TREE, n.

The Myrica cerifera, or wax-bearing myrtle; a shrub common in North America, from the berries of which a kind of wax or oil is procured, of which candles are made. The oil is obtained by boiling the berries in water; the oil rising to the surface is skimmed off, and when cool, is of the consistence of wax, and of a dull green color. In popular language, this is called bay-berry tallow.