Phyllodoce caerulea (L.) Bab.

Blue mountainheath (en), Andromède bleue (fr), Phyllodoce bleue (fr)

Species

Angiosperms > Ericales > Ericaceae > Phyllodoce

Characteristics

Shrubs 10–30(–40) cm tall, prostrate to erect, much branched. Branchlets slender, leafy, glabrous. Leaves alternate; petiole ca. 0.5 mm; leaf blade linear, (5–)7(–10) × ca. 1.2 mm, adaxially with prominent midvein, base broadly cuneate, margin slightly serrulate, glabrous, apex obtuse. Inflorescence clustered, (1–)2–5(–6)-flowered; bracts 2, persistent; pedicels somewhat recurved, reddish, ca. 2 cm in flower, elongating to 4 cm in fruit, glandular-hairy. Calyx red-purple, glandular-pilose; lobes not deflexed in flower, lanceolate, 3–4(–5.5) mm. Corolla red or bluish rose, urceolate, 7–8(–11) mm, sparsely glandular-hairy outside. Stamens 10, included; anthers purple. Style slightly shorter than corolla tube; stigma capitate. Capsule globose, 3–4 mm. Fl. Jun–Jul, fr. Aug.
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Plants prostrate to ascending or erect, diffusely branched, often matlike, 5-25 cm. Leaves spreading, imbricate; blade linear to spatulate, 4-10 × 1-1.3 mm, margins finely glandular-serrulate, abaxial surface glabrous or glandular. Inflorescences umbellate, 1-6-flowered. Pedicels 10-30 mm, glandular; bracteoles 2. Flowers nodding; sepals linear to lanceolate, 3-4 mm, margins not ciliate, glandular abaxially; corolla purple, urceolate, constricted at mouth, 4-9 mm, glandular, lobes recurved, ca. 1 mm; stamens 8-10, included; filaments 3-3.5 mm, glabrous; anthers 1.2-1.5 mm; ovary globose, 2-2.5 mm, glandular; style included, 4-5 mm. Capsules 5-valved, globose, 2.5-3.5 mm, glandular. 2n = 24.
Diffusely branched from a woody root, 5–15 cm; lvs alternate, crowded in many rows, narrowly oblong, 4–10 mm; minutely serrulate; petiole 1 mm, arising from a swollen sterigma; pedicels 1–2 cm, becoming 3–4 cm, minutely stipitate-glandular; sep lanceolate, 4 mm; cor ovoid, constricted at the throat, purple, 1 cm, the rounded lobes 1 mm; fr 4 mm, minutely glandular; 2n=24. Circumboreal, s. to alpine summits in Me. and N.H. July, Aug.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination entomogamy
Spread barochory
Mature width (meter) 0.1 - 0.5
Mature height (meter) 0.1 - 0.4
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) 0.4
Flower color
Blooming months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Fruit color -
Fruiting months
JanFebMar
AprMayJun
JulAugSep
OctNovDec
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

Light 6-8
Soil humidity 3-8
Soil texture -
Soil acidity 2-6
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 2-7

Usage

Uses environmental use
Edible -
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) 30 - 60
Germination temperacture (C°) 12 - 18
Germination luminosity light
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) -
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Leaf

Phyllodoce caerulea leaf picture by Rémi beydon (cc-by-sa)
Phyllodoce caerulea leaf picture by Bjørnar Hassel (cc-by-sa)
Phyllodoce caerulea leaf picture by Julia Henning (cc-by-sa)

Flower

Phyllodoce caerulea flower picture by Folkard Asch (cc-by-sa)
Phyllodoce caerulea flower picture by Siriann Grenness (cc-by-sa)
Phyllodoce caerulea flower picture by Erik Martiniussen (cc-by-sa)

Fruit

Phyllodoce caerulea fruit picture by Folkard Asch (cc-by-sa)

Distribution

Phyllodoce caerulea world distribution map, present in Canada, China, Finland, France, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Greenland, Iceland, Japan, Liberia, Norway, Korea (Democratic People's Republic of), Russian Federation, Sweden, and United States of America

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1024147-2
WFO ID wfo-0000395875
COL ID 4H6SZ
BDTFX ID 49141
INPN ID 113305
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR) Link

Synonyms

Phyllodoce taxifolia Bryanthus caeruleus Phyllodoce caerulea Andromeda caerulea Andromeda daboecia Erica coerulea Andromeda taxifolia Bryanthus taxifolius Erica arctica