Pink Mountainheath

Phyllodoce empetriformis

Taxonomy

Division:
Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Phyllodoce
Species:
Phyllodoce empetriformis

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:
Perennial
Growth Habit:
Shrub , Subshrub
Height:
1-2 ft
Light Requirements:
Part Shade
Drought Tolerance:
High
Bloom Months:
jun, jul, aug
Bloom Colors:
Pink, Purple
Ground Cover:
Yes
Evergreen Shrub:
Yes

Native Range

United States: Alaska, Arizona, California, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Washington, Wyoming, Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, Yukon

Reported Fauna Sightings

Bees: Black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus), Black-tailed bumble bee (Bombus melanopygus), Fernald cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus flavidus), Fernald cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus flavidus), Fuzzy-horned bumble bee (Bombus mixtus), Fuzzy-horned bumble bee (Bombus mixtus), Indiscriminate cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus insularis), Indiscriminate cuckoo bumble bee (Bombus insularis), Sitka bumble bee (Bombus sitkensis), Sitka bumble bee (Bombus sitkensis), Two-form bumble bee (Bombus bifarius), Two-form bumble bee (Bombus bifarius), Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), Western bumble bee (Bombus occidentalis), Yellow head bumble bee (Bombus flavifrons), Yellow head bumble bee (Bombus flavifrons), Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii), Yellow-faced bumble bee (Bombus vosnesenskii)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:
acidic, well-drained, organic-rich soil
pH:
4.5 - 6.0 (strongly acidic to slightly acidic)
Drainage:
excellent drainage required
Moisture:
consistently moist
Notes:
thrives in alpine and subalpine environments

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: Stem tip cuttings and stem cuttings with a heel of subterranean wood treated with 1,000 ppm liquid IBA. Incorporate field collected inoculum into the rooting medium. Rooting medium used is 1:1 (v:v) peat:perlite medium containing root/soil material collected from the rhizosphere of field plants. 8000 ppm IBA talc is recommended for higher rooting percentages.

Establishment: Stem heel cuttings had a higher rate of rooting (37%) than stem tip cuttings (17%). The low rooting percentage is most likely due to the low concentration of IBA (1000 ppm). The plant occurs from Alaska to California, east to Alberta and south through the Rocky Mountains to Colorado.

Source: npn.rngr.net