OregonFlora: Cassiope mertensiana

	Cassiope mertensiana
	white heather
Habit	Subshrubs 10–30 cm.
Stems	densely branched from base, 5–30 cm, glabrous, puberulent or glandular.
Leaves	ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 mm; margins entire, glabrous or ciliate with minute glandular hairs.
Pedicels	5–30 mm, often nodding, glabrous or puberulent, subtended by bractlets.
Flowers	sepals ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm; reddish; corollas campanulate; petals 5–8 mm, white to pink, fused 67% of their length.
Fruits	round to ovoid, 1.5–4 mm; loculicidal.
Seeds	many; minute, winged.
2n	=26.

	Cassiope mertensiana
Distribution	[WildflowerSearch map] [BONAP county map]
Discussion	2 varieties. A high elevation alpine species, C. mertensiana is generally found only above 2000 meters on moist, rocky mountain slopes. This species is distinguished from other Oregon ericaceous species by its small, scale-like leaves.
Source	Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 622 Stephen Meyers
Subordinate taxa	C. mertensiana var. gracilis, C. mertensiana var. mertensiana
Web links	Local floras: BC, CA, OR, WA Local Web sites: CalFlora, CalPhotos, Flora NW, PNW Herbaria, Turner Photog. WildflowerSearch iNaturalist (observations) USDA Plants Database LBJ Wildflower Center SEINet Plants of the World Online Encyclopedia of Life Wikipedia Google Image Search

Cassiope mertensiana

white heather

Habit

Subshrubs 10–30 cm.

Stems

densely branched from base, 5–30 cm, glabrous, puberulent or glandular.

Leaves

ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 mm;

margins entire, glabrous or ciliate with minute glandular hairs.

Pedicels

5–30 mm, often nodding, glabrous or puberulent, subtended by bractlets.

Flowers

sepals ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm; reddish;

corollas campanulate;

petals 5–8 mm, white to pink, fused 67% of their length.

Fruits

round to ovoid, 1.5–4 mm; loculicidal.

Seeds

many; minute, winged.

=26.

Cassiope mertensiana

Distribution

[WildflowerSearch map]

[BONAP county map]

Discussion

2 varieties.

A high elevation alpine species, C. mertensiana is generally found only above 2000 meters on moist, rocky mountain slopes. This species is distinguished from other Oregon ericaceous species by its small, scale-like leaves.

Source

Flora of Oregon, volume 2, page 622
Stephen Meyers

Subordinate taxa

C. mertensiana var. gracilis, C. mertensiana var. mertensiana

Web links