Kalmia latifolia

mountain laurel

Ericaceae

Plant Specifics

Form:

shrub

Size:

7-10 (15) ft tall by 5-8 ft wide

Life Span:

long-lived perennial

Flower Color:

white,pink

Fruit Color:

brown

Phenology:

Evergreen. Blooms in spring.

Noted For:

Showy Flowers, Interesting Foliage

Landscaping

Recommended Uses:

Specimen plant or natural background screen.

Considerations:

Light:

Part Sun, Shade

Moisture Tolerance:

Usually moist, occasional inundation ---- to ---- Not wet but not extremely dry

Salt Water Flooding Tolerance:

Unknown

Salt Spray/Salty Soil Tolerance:

Low/no tolerance of salty wind or direct salt spray

Soil or Other Substrate:

Sand, Loam

Suitable to Grow In:

8A,8B,9A

Ecology

Wildlife:

Pollinators, Mammals

Pollinated by bees.  Stamens will suddenly "snap" out of pockets in the petals and hit the insect with its load of pollen.

Cover for birds and mammals. Deer browse the foliage. 

Native Habitats:

Moist sites. Acid soils. Upland hardwood forest, slope forest , banks of seep streams, bluffs.