''Kalmia microphylla'', known as alpine laurel, bog laurel, swamp-laurel, western bog-laurel or western laurel, is a species of ''

Kalmia ''Kalmia'' is a genus of about ten species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae (heath). They are native to North America (mainly in the eastern half of the continent) and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with differe ...

'' of the family Ericaceae. It is native to

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

and can be found throughout the western US and western and central Canada below the subarctic.

Etymology

''Kalmia'', the genus, is named after Swedish-Finn botanist

Pehr Kalm Pehr Kalm (6 March 1716 – 16 November 1779), also known as Peter Kalm, was a Swedish-Finnish List of explorers, explorer, botany, botanist, natural history, naturalist, and Agricultural economics, agricultural economist. He was one of the most ...

, a student of

Carl Linnaeus Carl Linnaeus (23 May 1707 – 10 January 1778), also known after ennoblement in 1761 as Carl von Linné,#Blunt, Blunt (2004), p. 171. was a Swedish biologist and physician who formalised binomial nomenclature, the modern system of naming o ...

, while ''microphylla'' derives from Ancient Greek meaning "small leaves".

Description

''Kalmia microphylla'' are characterized as being short, shrubs that have a maximum height of 24 inches and their growth rarely surpasses 6 ft. This plant is easily mistaken for the ''K. polifolia'' "bog-laurel" because of the similar characteristics of their flowers. ''K. microphylla'' can be distinguished by their clusters of pink or purple bell shaped flowers. The flowers are held within five fused petals that open in the shape of a cup. The stamens held within the petals react to insects that land on them by covering them with pollen. The plant produces green fruits, which are small and hard in form. Fruits are five parted capsules. The leaves of this plant are oppositely attached and are not deciduous. Leaves are distinctly lanceolate in shape with rolled leaf edges, a leathery texture, and dark green color. The plant's branches and twigs are fuzzy in early growth and then during maturity become smooth and reddish brown to grayish in color.

Distribution and habitat

This is a perennial species and has active growth during spring and summer. These plants can frequently be found in alpine meadows, open wet areas and bogs. The habitat in which it optimally grows in open heath or shrublands with moist soil. The soil must have very low levels of calcium carbonate because the plant is intolerant of alkaline conditions. Distribution of ''Kalmia microphylla'' ranges from Alaska to California and now has expanded through much of northern Canada.

Uses

The kalmias are very poisonous plants, containing

grayanotoxin Grayanotoxins are a group of closely related neurotoxins named after ''Leucothoe grayana'', a plant native to Japan and named for 19th-century American botanist Asa Gray. Grayanotoxin I (grayanotoxane-3,5,6,10,14,16-hexol 14-acetate) is also known ...

. ''Kalmia microphylla'' has also been used for medicinal purposes in creating external washes for skin diseases.

Gallery

File:Kalmia microphylla.jpg, Kalmia microphylla File:Kalmia microphylla 0605.JPG File:Kalmia microphylla 0600.JPG File:Kalmia microphylla 0602.JPG File:Kalmia microphylla 0607.JPG

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q23933 microphylla Flora of the Northwestern United States Flora of Northern Canada Flora of Western Canada Flora of Alaska Flora of California Flora of Nevada Taxa named by Amos Arthur Heller Taxa named by William Jackson Hooker Flora without expected TNC conservation status