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Phyllodoce empetriformis
Phyllodoce empetriformis (Sm.) D. Don
Pink Mountain Heath, Pink Mountain Heather
Ericaceae (Heath Family)
Synonym(s):
USDA Symbol: PHEM
USDA Native Status: L48 (N), AK (N), CAN (N)
A low, heather-like shrub from 4-20 in. tall, Pink Mountain Heath forms wide mats. The dense, evergreen foliage is dark-green and needle-like. Bell-shaped, pinkish-lavender, pendent flowers occur in clusters at the tips of the branches.
Brewer's Mountain Heather (P. breweri), from the California mountains, has pink flowers and stamens longer than the corolla. Cream Mountain Heather (P. glanduliflora), growing in the mountains from Oregon and Wyoming northward, has glandular hairs on a yellowish or greenish-white corolla.
Plant Characteristics
Duration: PerennialHabit: Shrub
Leaf Retention: Evergreen
Leaf Complexity: Simple
Fruit Type: Capsule
Size Notes: Up to about 20 inches tall.
Bloom Information
Bloom Color: Pink , PurpleBloom Time: Jun , Jul , Aug
Distribution
USA: AZ , CA , ID , MT , OR , WA , WYCanada: AB , BC , MB , SK
Native Distribution: AK, s. in the high mts. to CA & CO
Native Habitat: Moist slopes above 5000 ft.
Growing Conditions
Light Requirement: Part ShadeSoil Moisture: Moist
Soil Description: Moist, sandy or rocky soil with peat.
Conditions Comments: Another Phyllodoce species with a similar range, P. glanduliflora, has yellow flowers. Where the two species coexist an attractive natural hybrid, P. x intermedia, often results.
Find Seed or Plants
View propagation protocol from Native Plants Network.
Mr. Smarty Plants says
Alternatives to non-native heather (Calluna vulgaris)
April 27, 2007
I live in Vernon, BC, Canada. I plan to put a heather plant in my garden, but my space is limited. I know that it will grow approx. 2 ft. high and that it likes well drained and acidic soil, but how...
view the full question and answer
National Wetland Indicator Status
Region: | AGCP | AK | AW | CB | EMP | GP | HI | MW | NCNE | WMVE |
Status: | FACU | FACU | FACU | FACU |
Web Reference
Webref 38 - Flora of North America (2019) Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis, MO & Harvard University Herbaria, Cambridge, MA.Webref 23 - Southwest Environmental Information Network (2009) SEINet - Arizona Chapter
Additional resources
USDA: Find Phyllodoce empetriformis in USDA PlantsFNA: Find Phyllodoce empetriformis in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Phyllodoce empetriformis
Metadata
Record Modified: 2023-02-23Research By: TWC Staff