Ericaceae

Kalmiopsis leachiana

Kalmiopsis

Upright shrub with numerous spreading branches. Leaves oval, dark green, thick, 1/2 in. long, dotted with glands, denser on underside. Flowers in a cluster on upper ends of stems on stalks to 1 in. long. Deep red calyx supports 5 light pink to deep rose 1/2 in. petals. Pistil bright red, stamens formed by white filaments and purple anthers, about length of petals. Grows in rocky well-drained soils, cliffs in forest openings, in areas of high rainfall. Discovered by Lilla Leach of Portland in the Siskiyou Mountains in 1930, in what is now part of the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in southwestern Oregon.

• Rarity: Rare
• Flowering Time: Late Spring, Early Summer
• Life Cycle: Perennial
• Height: 10--20 inches
• Habitat: Coastal, West-Side Forest
• Found In: Siskiyous, Umpqua River Drainage
• Native: Yes