Difference between revisions of "Kalmia latifolia"

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{{Taxobox
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{{SPlantbox
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| color = lightgreen
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|familia=Ericaceae
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| name = Mountain-laurel
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|genus=Kalmia
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| image = Kalmia_Latifolia.jpg
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|species=latifolia
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| image_width = 240px
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|taxo_author=L.
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| image_caption = ''Kalmia latifolia'' flowers
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|common_name=Mountain-laurel, Spoonwood
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| regnum = [[Plantae]]
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|habit=shrub
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| divisio = [[Flowering plant|Magnoliophyta]]
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|poisonous=to some animals
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| classis = [[Magnoliopsida]]
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|lifespan=perennial
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| ordo = [[Ericales]]
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|features=flowers
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| familia = [[Ericaceae]]
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|flower_season=late spring, early summer
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| genus = ''[[Kalmia]]''
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|flowers=pink, white
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| species = '''''K. latifolia'''''
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|Temp Metric=°F
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| binomial = ''Kalmia latifolia''
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|jumpin=If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!
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| binomial_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|L.]]
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|image=Kalmia_Latifolia.jpg
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|image_width=240
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|image_caption=''Kalmia latifolia'' flowers
 
}}
 
}}
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'''''Kalmia latifolia''''', commonly called '''Mountain-laurel''' or '''Spoonwood''', is a species [[flowering plant]] in the [[blueberry]] family, [[Ericaceae]], that is native to the [[eastern United States]]. Its range stretches from southern [[Maine]] south to northern [[Florida]], and west to [[Indiana]] and [[Louisiana]].
  
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{{commons|Kalmia_latifolia|Kalmia latifolia}}
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It is widely grown for its attractive [[flower]]s. Numerous [[cultivar]]s have been selected with varying flower color.
  
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:''For the Texas Mountain laurel, see [[Sophora secundiflora]]''
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It is an [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] growing to 3–9 m tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3–12&nbsp;cm long and 1–4&nbsp;cm wide. Its [[flower]]s are round, ranging from light pink to white, and occurring in clusters. There are several named [[cultivar]]s today that have darker shades of pink, near red and maroon pigment. It blooms between May and June. All parts of the plant are [[poison]]ous.  [[Root]]s are [[Fiber|fibrous]] and matted.<ref name=Keeler>{{cite book
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'''''Kalmia latifolia''''' ('''Mountain-laurel''', '''Spoonwood''') is a [[flowering plant]] in the family [[Ericaceae]], native to the eastern [[United States]], from southern [[Maine]] south to northern [[Florida]], and west to [[Indiana]] and [[Louisiana]].
 
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It is an [[evergreen]] [[shrub]] growing to 3-9 m tall. The [[leaf|leaves]] are 3-12 cm long and 1-4 cm wide. Its [[flower]]s are star-shaped, ranging from red to pink to white, and occurring in clusters. It blooms between May and June. All parts of the plant are [[poison]]ous.  Roots are fibrous, matted.<ref name=Keeler>{{cite book
 
 
   | last =Keeler
 
   | last =Keeler
 
   | first =Harriet L.
 
   | first =Harriet L.
Line 29: Line 28:
 
   | date =1900
 
   | date =1900
 
   | location =New York
 
   | location =New York
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   | pages =186-189 }}</ref>
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   | pages =186–189 }}</ref>
  
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The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and mountainous forest areas. The plant often grows in large thickets, covering large areas of forest floor.  In North America it becomes a tree on the mountains of the Carolinas but is a shrub further north.<ref name=Keeler />
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The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and [[mountain]]ous [[forest]] areas. It prefers a [[soil pH]] in the 4.5 to 5.5 range, therefore it thrives in [[acid]] soil. The plant often grows in large [[thicket]]s, covering great areas of [[forest floor]].  In [[North America]] it can become tree sized on undeveloped mountains of the Carolinas but is a [[shrub]] further north.<ref name=Keeler />
  
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It is also known as '''Ivybush''', '''Calico Bush''', Spoonwood (because native Americans used to make their spoons out of it), '''Sheep Laurel''', '''Lambkill''' and '''Clamoun'''.
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{{Inc|
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Kalmia latifolia, Linn. Mountain or American Laurel. Calico Bush. Fig. 2029. Shrub, 4-10 ft. high, rarely tree to 30 ft., with dense, round-topped head: lvs. petioled, alternate or irregularly whorled, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, acute at both ends, dark green above, yellowish green below, 3-4 in. long: fls. in large, terminal compound corymbs on viscid peduncles; corolla rose-colored to white, with purple markings within, about 3/4in. across. May, June. New Bruns. to Fla., west to Ohio and Tenn. var. alba, bosse. fls. almost white. var. fuscata, Rehd. Corolla inside with a broad_ dark purpish brown band. var. myrtifolia, Bosse (var. nana or var. minor, Hort.). Fig. 2030. lvs. small, 1-2 in. long, deep green, of slow growth, forming a low, dense bush.  var. obtusata, Rehd. Of compact habit and slow growth: lvs. elliptic or oval, obtuse at both ends, 2-3 in. long. var. polypetala, Nichols, (var. monstruosa, Mouillef.). Corolla divided into 5 narrow petals which gives to the fls. a feathery appearance. var. rubra, Sweet (var. pavartii, Andre). Fls. deep pink.
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}}
  
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Mountain-laurel is the [[state flower]] of [[Connecticut]] and [[Pennsylvania]]. 
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==Cultivation==
  
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The plant was first recorded in America in [[1624]], but it was named after [[Pehr Kalm]], who sent samples to [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]] in the [[18th century]].
 
  
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== Description ==
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===Propagation===
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* Bark: Dark brown tinged with red, furrowed and scaly.  Branchlets at first light reddish green, downy, later smooth, red green and shining, finally all a bright red brown.
 
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* Wood: Brown tinged with red; heavy, hard, rather brittle, close-grained.  Sp. gr., 0.7160; weight of cu. ft., 44.62 lbs.
 
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* Winter buds: Leaf-buds naked, forming in midsummer in the axils of leaves just below those from which the clusters of flower-buds are produced by which they are almost covered.  The tip of the branch dies when these axillary buds are formed.  Inner scales enlarge with the growing shoot, becoming an inch long before falling.
 
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* Leaves: Alternate, or in pairs, or in threes, simple, persistent, oblong, three to four inches long, one to one and a half inches wide, wedge-shaped at base, entire, acute or rounded at apex and tipped with a callous point.  They come out of the bud conduplicate; each leaf enclosed by the one directly below it, slightly tinged with pink and covered with glandular white hairs, when full grown are thick and rigid, dark shining green above, pale yellow green beneath; midrib broad, yellow, rounded above and below, veins obscure.  They remain green and fall during the second summer.  Petioles are short, stout, slightly flattened.
 
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* Flowers: Flowers appear in May or June from buds which are formed in autumn in the axils of the upper leaves in the form of slender cones of downy green scales.  These buds usually develop two or more lateral branches, the whole forming a compound many-flowered corymb four or five inches in diameter and overlapped at the flowering time by the leafy branches of the year.  Pedicels are red or green, hairy or scurfy and furnished with two bracts at base and developed from the axils of large bracts.
 
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* Calyx: Five-parted; lobes imbricate in bud, narrow, acute, covered with glutinous hairs.  Disk prominent, ten-lobed.
 
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* Corolla: Saucer-shaped, rose colored, white, or pink.  Tube short with ten tiny sacs just below the five-parted limb; lobes ovate, acute, imbricate in bud.  The border is marked on the inner surface with a waving rosy line and is slightly purple above the sac.  The buds are ten-ribbed from the sacs to the acute apex of the bud.
 
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* Stamens: Ten, hypogynous, shorter than the corolla, at first held in the sacs of the corolla; filaments thread-like; anthers oblong, adnate, thwo-celled; cells opening by a short longitudinal pore.
 
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* Pistil: Ovary superior, five-celled; style thread-like, exserted; stigma capitate; ovules many in each cell.
 
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* Fruit: Woody capsule, many seeded, depressed-globular, slightly five-lobed, five-celled, five-valved.  Crowned with the persistent style, surrounded at base by the persistent calyx, covered with viscid hairs.  Seeds oblong.<ref name=Keeler />\
 
  
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The blossoms of this plant are equipped with a most evident device to secure cross-fertilization.  Nature has many such arragements, but it is not often that they are so openly displayed.  Each flower has ten stamens and each corolla is provided with ten little pockets.  When the flower opens each stamen is found bent back with its anther thrust into one of these tiny cavities.  In the center of the flower lies the nectar, and when the bee comes to get it, she brushes against the filaments, which fly up and scatter their pollen over her body.  She leaves on the stigma of the next flower she visits the pollen he has gathered in the first, and so on he goes from flower to flower.<ref name=Keeler />  The honey made from this plant is toxic.<ref name=BadBug>{{cite web
 
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  | title =Grayanotoxin
 
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  | work =Foodborne Pathogenic Microorganisms and Natural Toxins Handbook
 
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  | publisher =US FDA
 
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  | date =2001
 
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  | url =http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/chap44.html
 
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  | accessdate =2007-05-01  }}</ref>
 
  
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==Cultivation and uses==
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===Pests and diseases===
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The plant was originally brought to Europe as an [[ornamental plant]] during the 18th century. It is still widely grown for its attractive flowers. Numerous [[cultivar]]s have been selected with varying flower color.  Does not flourish in a limestone country.
 
  
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This is one of the most satisfactory shrubs for lawn or garden.  When in full bloom it is of surpassing beauty, and its bright evergreen leaves make it conspicuous at any time.<ref name=Keeler />
 
  
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A little known American use of the plant was in the making of arbors for early wooden-works clocks.
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==Varieties==
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Mountain-laurel is a foodplant of last resort for [[gypsy moth]] [[caterpillar]]s, utilized only during outbreaks when moth densities are extremely high.
 
  
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==See also==
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* [[List of late spring flowers]]
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==Gallery==
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* [[List of early summer flowers]]
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<gallery perrow=5>
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File:Buberel unknown flower 12.jpg|''K. latifolia'' flower buds.
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File:Kalmia latifolia species.jpg|More mature buds of wild ''K. latifolia'', showing the geometry.
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File:Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia 'Olympic Wedding' Leaves and Buds 2575px.jpg|Leaves and early buds
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File:Kalmia_latifolia3.jpg|a ''Kalmia latifolia'' [[cultivar]]
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File:Kalmia_latifolia2.jpg
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File:Kalmia_latifolia1.jpg
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File:Laurel1.jpg
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File:Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia 'Olympic Wedding' Young Old Flowers 3264px.jpg|Flowers, both blooming and wilted, on the same flower head.‎
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</gallery>
  
 
==References==
 
==References==
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{{reflist}}
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<references/>
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*[http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?21115 Germplasm Resources Information Network: ''Kalmia latifolia'']
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*[[Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture]], by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963
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*[http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=KALA USDA Plant Profile: ''Kalmia latifolia'']
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<!--- xxxxx  *Flora: The Gardener's Bible, by Sean Hogan. Global Book Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0881925381  -->
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*[http://www.ct-botanical-society.org/galleries/kalmialati.html Connecticut Botanical Society Profile: ''Kalmia latifolia'']
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<!--- xxxxx  *American Horticultural Society: A-Z Encyclopedia of Garden Plants, by Christopher Brickell, Judith D. Zuk. 1996. ISBN 0789419432  -->
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*[http://www.cas.vanderbilt.edu/bioimages/species/frame/kala.htm ''Kalmia latifolia'' images at bioimages.vanderbilt.edu]
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<!--- xxxxx  *Sunset National Garden Book. Sunset Books, Inc., 1997. ISBN 0376038608  -->
  
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==Gallery==
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==External links==
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<gallery>
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*{{wplink}}
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Image:Buberel unknown flower 12.jpg|Kalmia latifolia flower buds
 
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Image:Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia 'Olympic Wedding' Leaves and Buds 2575px.jpg|Leaves and early buds
 
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Image:Kalmia_latifolia3.jpg
 
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Image:Kalmia_latifolia2.jpg
 
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Image:Kalmia_latifolia1.jpg
 
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Image:Laurel1.jpg
 
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Image:Mountain Laurel Kalmia latifolia 'Olympic Wedding' Young Old Flowers 3264px.jpg|Flowers, both blooming and wilted, on the same flower head.‎
 
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</gallery>
 
  
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[[Category:Ericaceae]]
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{{stub}}
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[[Category:Wildflowers of the Great Smoky Mountains]]
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__NOTOC__
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[[Category:Trees of the United States]]
 
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[[Category:Medicinal plants]]
 
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{{Asterid-stub}}
 

Latest revision as of 21:10, 8 April 2010


Kalmia latifolia flowers


Plant Characteristics
Habit   shrub

Lifespan: ⌛ perennial
Poisonous: ☠ to some animals
Bloom: ❀ late spring, early summer
Cultivation
Features: ✓ flowers
Flower features: ❀ pink, white
Scientific Names

Ericaceae >

Kalmia >

latifolia >

L. >


If this plant info box on watering; zones; height; etc. is mostly empty you can click on the edit tab and fill in the blanks!


Kalmia latifolia, commonly called Mountain-laurel or Spoonwood, is a species flowering plant in the blueberry family, Ericaceae, that is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine south to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana.

It is widely grown for its attractive flowers. Numerous cultivars have been selected with varying flower color.

It is an evergreen shrub growing to 3–9 m tall. The leaves are 3–12 cm long and 1–4 cm wide. Its flowers are round, ranging from light pink to white, and occurring in clusters. There are several named cultivars today that have darker shades of pink, near red and maroon pigment. It blooms between May and June. All parts of the plant are poisonous. Roots are fibrous and matted.[1]

The plant is naturally found on rocky slopes and mountainous forest areas. It prefers a soil pH in the 4.5 to 5.5 range, therefore it thrives in acid soil. The plant often grows in large thickets, covering great areas of forest floor. In North America it can become tree sized on undeveloped mountains of the Carolinas but is a shrub further north.[1]


Read about Kalmia latifolia in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture 

Kalmia latifolia, Linn. Mountain or American Laurel. Calico Bush. Fig. 2029. Shrub, 4-10 ft. high, rarely tree to 30 ft., with dense, round-topped head: lvs. petioled, alternate or irregularly whorled, oblong or elliptic-lanceolate, acute at both ends, dark green above, yellowish green below, 3-4 in. long: fls. in large, terminal compound corymbs on viscid peduncles; corolla rose-colored to white, with purple markings within, about 3/4in. across. May, June. New Bruns. to Fla., west to Ohio and Tenn. var. alba, bosse. fls. almost white. var. fuscata, Rehd. Corolla inside with a broad_ dark purpish brown band. var. myrtifolia, Bosse (var. nana or var. minor, Hort.). Fig. 2030. lvs. small, 1-2 in. long, deep green, of slow growth, forming a low, dense bush. var. obtusata, Rehd. Of compact habit and slow growth: lvs. elliptic or oval, obtuse at both ends, 2-3 in. long. var. polypetala, Nichols, (var. monstruosa, Mouillef.). Corolla divided into 5 narrow petals which gives to the fls. a feathery appearance. var. rubra, Sweet (var. pavartii, Andre). Fls. deep pink.


The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.


Cultivation

Propagation

Pests and diseases

Varieties

Gallery

  • K. latifolia flower buds.

  • More mature buds of wild K. latifolia, showing the geometry.

  • Leaves and early buds

  • a Kalmia latifolia cultivar

  • Kalmia latifolia2.jpg
  • Kalmia latifolia1.jpg
  • Laurel1.jpg

  • Flowers, both blooming and wilted, on the same flower head.‎

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Keeler, Harriet L. (1900). Our Native Trees and How to Identify Them. New York: Charles Scriber's Sons. pp. 186–189. 

External links


Retrieved from "http://gardenology.mywikis.net/w/index.php?title=Kalmia_latifolia&oldid=126603"