Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench
leatherleaf (cassandra)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
leatherleaf (cassandra)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Species Information
General:
Low shrub; stems erect, branching, mostly 20-60 cm tall, short white-hairy, sometimes scaly.
Leaves:
Evergreen, alternate, leathery, oblanceolate to oblong or elliptic, rounded to blunt at tip, pointed at base, 0.7-5 cm long, 0.3-1.5 cm wide, finely sharp-toothed, flat or margins rolled under, scaly-hairy.
Flowers:
In one-sided leafy terminal racemes; flower stalks 1-4 mm long, straight, with 2 bracts at the base of the calyx; corollas white, essentially cylindric with slightly narrowed throat, 4.5-7 mm long; sepals 5, 2-3 mm long, scurfy-hairy.
Fruits:
Capsules, depressed globe-shaped, 3-5 mm wide, equaled or surpassed by the sepals.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
White
Blooming Period:
Early Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Brown
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Chamaedaphne calyculata
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
521 | 320 | 1435 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
1 | 0 | 88 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
20 | 20 | 20 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
6 | 2 | 8 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
A | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
55 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
BWBS | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
BWBS(53), CMA(1) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Peat bogs in the montane zone; infrequent in NE BC; N to AK, YT, and NT, E to NF and NB, and S to IA, OH, and GA.Status Information
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Cassandra calyculata var. angustifolia (Aiton) Seymour
Cassandra calyculata var. latifolia (Aiton) Seymour
Chamaedaphne calyculata var. angustifolia (Aiton) Rehder
Chamaedaphne calyculata var. latifolia (Aiton) Fernald
Chamaedaphne calyculata var. nana (Lodd.) E. Busch