Wildflower Question

[TDawg]

Would anyone care to enlighten me as to what type of wildflower THIS is???

I came across it at a point on the cedar brook trail where is passes through a wet boggy type area on the way to my ascent of the Hancocks. There were numerous plants filled with them. THANKS

 

[TDawg]

link access problem....

Should be fixed now...minor screw up on my part

 

[kmac]

sheep laurel

Would anyone care to enlighten me as to what type of wildflower THIS is???

I came across it at a point on the cedar brook trail where is passes through a wet boggy type area on the way to my ascent of the Hancocks. There were numerous plants filled with them. THANKS

This wildflower is called "sheep laurel"-native evergreen shrub found in bogs and wet woodlands. It got it's name "sheep kill" because it is poisonous to livestock.

 

[woodstrider]

sheep laurel

Nice picture. Thanks for posting it.

 

[Puck]

This wildflower is called "sheep laurel"-native evergreen shrub found in bogs and wet woodlands. It got it's name "sheep kill" because it is poisonous to livestock.

I agree. But to add; sheep laurel (kalmia angustifolia) can be confused with pale laurel (kalmia polifolia) the main difference is sheep laurel's flowers are below a growth of leaves shooting out through the flower clusters. Pale laurel the flowers are always terminal.

Incidently there is some research currently on these two plants for homeopathic use for Lyme's.

 

[kmac]

sheep laurel/bog laurel

Yes, I see what you mean~ they could be confused with one another. I referenced my "Wildflowers of the White Mountains" field guide book by John Hession and Valerie Michaud, it's a great little book. Small enough to carry along on a hiking trip.

 

[MattC]

laurel

Nice pic indeed. The possible homeopathic use for LD is intriguing as well. While you knowledgable guys are discussing laurel, could I pose a question?
On the summit of Dix Mt. in the Adirondacks the other day, we saw small laurel plants with tiny, hot pink flowers. I was struck by these, but unfortunately have no pics. They were at about 4800'. I'm used to seeing the "standard" garden variety laurel all over the Shawangunks (and to a lesser extent the Catskills). The Gunks stuff goes from white to pink when in bloom. Is the stuff we saw on Dix just stunted due to the alpine zone, or is a whole other species?

Matt

 

[HH1]

Matt,

What you observed on Dix was likely alpine azalea (Losieleuria procumbens), one of the true arctic tundra plants that grow in the Adirondacks, and that's why it's stunted. I don't think it's related to laurel.

 

[arghman]

What you observed on Dix was likely alpine azalea (Losieleuria procumbens), one of the true arctic tundra plants that grow in the Adirondacks, and that's why it's stunted. I don't think it's related to laurel.

A picture for IDing:

Actually I've read that some of the taxonomists want to move it from Loiseleuria to Kalmia due to similarity with the laurels. (I don't care what genus plants are in as long as they STOP MOVING THEM AROUND!!!)

 

[Puck]

Matt,

What you observed on Dix was likely alpine azalea (Losieleuria procumbens), one of the true arctic tundra plants that grow in the Adirondacks, and that's why it's stunted. I don't think it's related to laurel.

laurel, rhodedendron, andromeda, cranberry, blueberry, azelia are all in the same family. Ericaceae, aka heath. They do well in nitrogen depleted soil.

 

[nartreb]

new question: does anybody know the name of this species (sorry, no good photos, description only):

The leaves are similar to lady's slipper - a single cluster of broad lance-shaped leaves emerging at ground level, in a loose cup-shaped arrangement. The base of the leaves start nearly vertical, but they curve outward toward and past horizontal.
Like lady's slipper, a narrow shoot goes straight up from the center point, up to about a foot tall, to hold the flowers. Unlike lady slippers, the flowers occur in clusters of maybe half a dozen, are trumpet-shaped, and pale yellow (usually retaining a greenish tinge). The flowers are at most an inch long. They bloom at the same time as lady's slippers and are often found in close proximity.
By august, the fruit (which starts as tiny green spheres) has ripened to a brilliant blue. The fruit are a bit larger than blueberries, and have a sort of crease the way peaches do.

 

[poison ivy]

nartreb, you're describing (and a very good description at that...) clintonia, a.k.a bluebead lily.



-Ivy

 

[HikerBob]

Perfect description - even I recognized it

Just to check... flowers and berries.

Now ask Ivy how she remembers this one

Bob