Phyllodoce empetriformis


Phyllodoce empetriformis, the pink mountain-heather or pink mountain-heath, is found in mountainous regions of western North America in the Northwestern United States and Western Canada. Its southern range includes the Klamath Range in northern California and Oregon.
Phyllodoce empetriformis is a low matting shrub with distinctive leaves which roll under themselves so tightly they resemble pine needles. It bears attractive flowers in shades of pink and purple.

Description

This common evergreen alpine shrub bears its red-purple flower clustered at the end of the stem in leaf axils. The flowers of Phyllodoce glanduliflora, for comparison, are yellow or green-white. In Phyllodoce empetriformis, the campanulate corolla is twice as long as the calyx. Its sepals and filaments are glabrous or barely hairy.