Cassiope mertensiana
Cassiope mertensiana var. gracilis
white heather
slender white heather
densely branched from base, 5–30 cm, glabrous, puberulent or glandular.
glabrous, sometimes puberulent with age.
ovate-lanceolate, 2–5 mm;
margins entire, glabrous or ciliate with minute glandular hairs.
margins ciliate with minute glandular hairs.
5–30 mm, often nodding, glabrous or puberulent, subtended by bractlets.
glabrous, sometimes puberulent with age.
sepals ovate, 1.5–2.5 mm; reddish;
corollas campanulate;
petals 5–8 mm, white to pink, fused 67% of their length.
calyx lobes entire.
round to ovoid, 1.5–4 mm; loculicidal.
many; minute, winged.
=26.
Cassiope mertensiana
Cassiope mertensiana var. gracilis
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.
Rocky, high elevation montane areas. Flowering Jul–Aug. 2100–3000 m. BW. ID, WA; northeast to MT. Native.
Within Oregon, C. mertensiana var. gracilis has thus far only been collected in the Wallowa Mountains.
Stephen Meyers
Stephen Meyers
- 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
