WESTERN MOSS HEATHER
GENESIS NAME: Cassiope mertensiana
DISTRIBUTION: This heather is native to subalpine areas of western North America, from Alaska to the mountains of California. It is a small, branching shrub which forms patches along the ground and in rocky crevices.
SEASON: Blooming July thru August
MEDICAL USE: The flower, leaf, and plant top are used to make medicine. People take heather as a tea for kidney and lower urinary tract conditions, prostate enlargement, fluid retention, gout, arthritis, sleep disorders, breathing problems, cough, and colds.
POISONOUS: It's important to err on the side of caution and educate yourself on the harmful effects a poisonous plant or flower can have. Common flowers like heathers, foxgloves and even some of the blooms on our site can have toxic properties.
EDIBILITY: The flowers were often used as a flavouring for beverages including tea and ale. Best places to find : Most readily found on heaths, moors and in open woodlands. Heather has a preference for acidic soil conditions. ... Other uses : Historically, Heather has been a very useful crop.
FEATURES: A low, matted, evergreen shrub with tough branches up to 12 in. tall. Small white bell-like flowers hang from the tips of slender stalks that grow from the axils near the ends of the branches on this matted plant. One to few bell-shaped flowers are borne near the branch tips. Because the flowers are pendent, the reddish sepals are visible. The somewhat star-like white flowers may have inspired the genus name of this plant, for in Greek mythology Cassiopeia was set among the stars as a constellation. Firemoss Cassiope (C. tetragona), near the Canadian border, has a prominent groove on the lower side of each leaf. Starry Cassiope (C. stellariana), which grows in bogs from Mount Rainier northward, has alternate, spreading leaves.
LEAVES: Cassiope mertensiana (Western Moss Heather) is a species of shrub in the family Ericaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form. They are native to Western North America, The Contiguous United States, Alaska, and Canada. They have simple, scale leaf leaves.
FRUITS: Fruit a 5-celled, globose capsule.
DISTRIBUTION: This heather is native to subalpine areas of western North America, from Alaska to the mountains of California. It is a small, branching shrub which forms patches along the ground and in rocky crevices.
SEASON: Blooming July thru August
MEDICAL USE: The flower, leaf, and plant top are used to make medicine. People take heather as a tea for kidney and lower urinary tract conditions, prostate enlargement, fluid retention, gout, arthritis, sleep disorders, breathing problems, cough, and colds.
POISONOUS: It's important to err on the side of caution and educate yourself on the harmful effects a poisonous plant or flower can have. Common flowers like heathers, foxgloves and even some of the blooms on our site can have toxic properties.
EDIBILITY: The flowers were often used as a flavouring for beverages including tea and ale. Best places to find : Most readily found on heaths, moors and in open woodlands. Heather has a preference for acidic soil conditions. ... Other uses : Historically, Heather has been a very useful crop.
FEATURES: A low, matted, evergreen shrub with tough branches up to 12 in. tall. Small white bell-like flowers hang from the tips of slender stalks that grow from the axils near the ends of the branches on this matted plant. One to few bell-shaped flowers are borne near the branch tips. Because the flowers are pendent, the reddish sepals are visible. The somewhat star-like white flowers may have inspired the genus name of this plant, for in Greek mythology Cassiopeia was set among the stars as a constellation. Firemoss Cassiope (C. tetragona), near the Canadian border, has a prominent groove on the lower side of each leaf. Starry Cassiope (C. stellariana), which grows in bogs from Mount Rainier northward, has alternate, spreading leaves.
LEAVES: Cassiope mertensiana (Western Moss Heather) is a species of shrub in the family Ericaceae. They have a self-supporting growth form. They are native to Western North America, The Contiguous United States, Alaska, and Canada. They have simple, scale leaf leaves.
FRUITS: Fruit a 5-celled, globose capsule.
DESCRIPTION:
Cassiope mertensiana has short, erect, snakelike stems that are covered in tiny leathery scalelike leaves only a few millimeters long. From between the layers of scale leaves emerge reddish pedicels each bearing a petite, hanging, down-facing, bell-shaped flower. The bractletsare red and the contrasting flower is white.
The white flower contrasts with the red bractlets.
Although the shrub tends to grow in areas where there is a lot of accumulation of snow, adequate rain precipitation is needed for the continued growth of Cassiope Mertensiana. The shrub must be exposed to enough sunlight and warmer conditions for proper growth during the growing season.
Cassiope mertensiana is a species of flowering plant known by the common names western moss heather and white mountain heather. This heather is native to subalpine areas of western North America, from Alaska to the mountains of California. It is a small, branching shrub which forms patches along the ground and in rocky crevices. The short, erect, snakelike stems are covered in tiny leathery scalelike leaves only a few millimeters long. >From between the layers of scale leaves emerge reddish pedicels each bearing a petite, hanging, down-facing, bell-shaped flower. The leaflets are red and the contrasting flower is white.
The white flower contrasts with the red bractlets.
Although the shrub tends to grow in areas where there is a lot of accumulation of snow, adequate rain precipitation is needed for the continued growth of Cassiope Mertensiana. The shrub must be exposed to enough sunlight and warmer conditions for proper growth during the growing season.
Cassiope mertensiana is a species of flowering plant known by the common names western moss heather and white mountain heather. This heather is native to subalpine areas of western North America, from Alaska to the mountains of California. It is a small, branching shrub which forms patches along the ground and in rocky crevices. The short, erect, snakelike stems are covered in tiny leathery scalelike leaves only a few millimeters long. >From between the layers of scale leaves emerge reddish pedicels each bearing a petite, hanging, down-facing, bell-shaped flower. The leaflets are red and the contrasting flower is white.