Andromeda polifolia

Linnaeus

Sp. Pl. 1: 393. 1753,.

Illustrated
Treatment appears in FNA Volume 8. Treatment on page 504. Mentioned on page 372.

Plants 5–80 cm, (without multicellular hairs); rootstocks creeping, ± horizontal. Leaf-blades white-glaucous or, sometimes, green abaxially, (1–) 2–5 cm × 1–8 mm. Pedicels erect or recurved, reddish or pale-glaucous, 6–20 mm. Flowers: sepals valvate in bud, soon widespreading, whitish to reddish, especially marginally, 1–1.7 mm, apex blunt to acute, calyx saucer-shaped, without stomata; petals short-spreading or recurved, hairy adaxially, minutely papillate on margins, corolla 5–8 × 3.5–7 mm, without stomata; nectariferous tissue at ovary base; ovary depressed-globose; placentae attached next to summit of columella; style ± equaling corolla-tube. Capsules 5-locular, 4–8 × 4–5 mm, deeply depressed apically obscuring style base, conspicuously glaucous when young, glabrous or hairy at base. Seeds brown, ca. 1 mm; testa smooth, lustrous. 2n = 48.

Distribution

V8 985-distribution-map.gif

Alta., B.C., Man., N.B., N.S., N.W.T., Nunavut, Ont., P.E.I., Que., Sask., Yukon, Alaska, Conn., Idaho, Ill., Ind., Maine, Mass., Mich., Minn., N.H., N.J., N.Y., Pa., R.I., Vt., W.Va., Wash., Wis., Europe, Asia

Discussion

Varieties 2 (2 in the flora).

Infection of Andromeda polifolia by species of the ascomycete genus Rhytisma Fries appears to result in leaves broadened and reddish, often not glaucous (A. L. Jacquemart 1998).

A hybrid of var. latifolia with var. polifolia [Andromeda ×jamesiana Lepage; A. polifolia var. jamesiana (Lepage) B. Boivin] is known from southern Nunavut and from the James Bay and southern Hudson Bay regions of Ontario and Quebec (J. Cayouette 1986); it is characterized by the abaxial surfaces of leaves being both glaucous and white-puberulent. Other specimens having abaxial surfaces of leaves both glaucous and puberulent are scattered through the range of A. polifolia.

Selected References

None.

Key

1 Leaf blades (1-)2-4 cm, abaxial surface white-glaucous (sometimes green), glabrous; corollas 5(-7) mm; corymbs 2-3(-4)-flowered, sometimes flowers solitary, erect or lax, on erect or ascending branchlets; pedicels 10-20 mm. Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia
1 Leaf blades (2-)3-5 cm, abaxial surface not glaucous, white-hairy to white-velutinous; corollas 6(-8) mm; corymbs (2-)4-8-flowered, nodding, on curved branchlets; pedicels seldom more than 6-8 mm. Andromeda polifolia var. latifolia

"entire" is not a number.

... more about "Andromeda polifolia"
hairy +  and glabrous +
epigynous +  and hypogynous +
blunt +  and acute +
Dorothy M. Fabijan +
Linnaeus +
furrowed +  and smooth +
not flaky +
coriaceous +
saucer--shaped +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
hairy +, glabrous +  and glaucous +
depressed +
0.4 cm4 mm <br />0.004 m <br /> (0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br />) +
0.5 cm5 mm <br />0.005 m <br /> (0.8 cm8 mm <br />0.008 m <br />) +
rotate to crateriform campanulate cylindric globose or urceolate +
globose-urceolate +
0.35 cm3.5 mm <br />0.0035 m <br /> (0.7 cm7 mm <br />0.007 m <br />) +
2-8-flowered +  and umbelliform +
Alta. +, B.C. +, Man. +, N.B. +, N.S. +, N.W.T. +, Nunavut +, Ont. +, P.E.I. +, Que. +, Sask. +, Yukon +, Alaska +, Conn. +, Idaho +, Ill. +, Ind. +, Maine +, Mass. +, Mich. +, Minn. +, N.H. +, N.J. +, N.Y. +, Pa. +, R.I. +, Vt. +, W.Va. +, Wash. +, Wis. +, Europe +  and Asia +
undifferentiated +
fusiform +
flattened +
unisexual +  and bisexual +
5-valved +  and capsular +
indehiscent +  and loculicidal +
obovoid;subglobose +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br /> (5 cm50 mm <br />0.05 m <br />) +
, +  and white-glaucous +
pseudoverticillate +  and alternate +
persistent +
oblong;elliptic +
coriaceous +
parietal +, axile +  and placentation +
depressed-globose +
tenuinucellate +  and unitegmic +
recurved +  and erect +
pale-glaucous +
0.6 cm6 mm <br />0.006 m <br /> (2 cm20 mm <br />0.02 m <br />) +
epigynous +  and hypogynous +
recurved +  and short-spreading +
papillate +
reduced +
not sticky +
distinct +
ellipsoid +  and ovoid +
1 cm10 mm <br />0.01 m <br /> (?) +
whitish +  and reddish +
widespreading +
dentate-triangular +
0.1 cm1 mm <br />0.001 m <br /> (0.17 cm1.7 mm <br />0.0017 m <br />) +
Illustrated +
procumbent +  and creeping +
spreading +  and ascending +
hairy +  and glabrous +
peltate +  and capitate +
straight +
Andromeda polifolia +
Andromeda +
species +
multilayered +
achlorophyllous +  and chlorophyllous +
evergreen +, deciduous +  and perennial +
heterotrophic +, autotrophic +  and mycotrophic +
multicellular-hairy +