Kalmia polifolia - (image 1 of 6)
Taxonomy
Family: Ericaceae
Habitat
Bogs.
Associates
Distribution
Northern NJ, west through MI, WI, and MN and north through most of Canada to AK. The USDA does not show this plant to be native to CA but Gleason & Cronquist do.
Morphology
Small evergreen shrub, to 1 m high. Leaves shiny, deep green above, white-hairy below, opposite, simple, entire, linear to lanceolate, to 4 cm long, margin revolute. Twigs 2-edged. Flowers pink to magenta, 1.6 cm across, in terminal corymbiform clusters. Fruit a brown, 5-parted, subglobose, dehiscent capsule.
Notes
Flowers May and June
Wetland indicator: Obligate
All parts of this plant are poisonous.
Bibliography
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of
Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY.
USDA, NRCS. 2002. The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
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Michael Hough © 2005 |