Kalmia latifolia
mountain American-laurel, mountain laurel
alternate (seemingly whorled on slow-growing twigs);
petiole 10–30 mm, glabrous or puberulent, sometimes stipitate-glandular;
blade elliptic to elliptic-lanceolate, 4–12 × 1.5–5 cm, margins plane, apex acute, surfaces stipitate-glandular, glabrescent abaxially, glabrous, midrib puberulent adaxially.
terminal, panicles, (12–)20–40-flowered.
20–40 mm.
sepals green to reddish, usually oblong, 3–3.5 mm, apex acute, surfaces glabrous or stipitate-glandular;
petals connate nearly their entire lengths, usually pink (ranging from deep red to white) with purple spots around each anther pocket, 20–25 × 15–30 mm, abaxial surface usually lightly stipitate-glandular, adaxial puberulent;
filaments 4–5 mm;
style 10–18 mm.
5-locular, 3–5 × 4–7 mm, stipitate-glandular.
winged, obovoid and curved, 0.5–1 mm.
= 24.
Kalmia latifolia
Kalmia latifolia is a showy and beautiful American indigenous plant. E. S. Rand (1871) wrote that “no words can describe the beauty of this plant on the mountains of the Middle States, where it covers acres, and sheets whole hillsides with pink and white.”
(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)
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