Page authors: Don Knoke, David Giblin
Cassiope mertensiana
Mertens's moss-heather, Merten's mountain-heather
Specimens
Photos

Distribution: Occurring on both sides of the Cascades crest in Washington; Alaska to California, east to Montana, Idaho, and Nevada.

Habitat: Open, rocky areas from the subalpine to alpine, often where dry in summer.

Flowers: July-September

Origin: Native

Growth Duration: Perennial

Conservation Status: Not of concern

Pollination: Bumblebees, bees

Description:
General:

Mat-forming shrubs, the flowering stems 5-30 cm. tall, glabrous or finely pubescent.

Leaves:

Leaves opposite, 4-ranked, sessile, oppressed, scale-like, 2-5 mm. long, ovate-lanceolate, rounded on the back.

Flowers:

Flowers several near the branch tips, 5-8 mm. long; pedicels 5-30 mm. long, glabrous or puberulent; sepals nearly distinct, 5-lobed, ovate, reddish; corolla white, bell-shaped, the 5 lobes ovate, much shorter than the tube; stamens 10, included; anthers globose, with recurved awns from the back, opening by false terminal pores; ovary superior.

Fruits:

Fruit a 5-celled, globose capsule.

Accepted Name:
Cassiope mertensiana (Bong.) G. Don
Publication: Gen. Hist. 3: 829. 1834.

Synonyms & Misapplications:
Andromeda mertensiana Bong.
Infraspecies:
Additional Resources:

PNW Herbaria: Specimen records of Cassiope mertensiana in the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria database

WA Flora Checklist: Cassiope mertensiana checklist entry

OregonFlora: Cassiope mertensiana information

E-Flora BC: Cassiope mertensiana atlas page

CalPhotos: Cassiope mertensiana photos

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