E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Elliottia pyroliflora (Bong.) S.W. Brim & P.F. Stevens
copperbush
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

© Ian Cumming  Email the photographer   (Photo ID #2573)

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Distribution of Elliottia pyroliflora
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Species Information

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General:
Medium-sized shrub, 0.5-2 m tall; stems erect, glabrous or very sparingly short-hairy with loose, shredding copper-coloured bark.
Leaves:
Deciduous, alternate, appearing whorled, elliptic-oblanceolate to oblanceolate, 1-5 cm long, 0.4-1 cm wide, rounded with short, abrupt tooth-like tip, narrowly tapered towards base, entire, light green, lower surface pale; nearly stalkless.
Flowers:
Mostly solitary, terminal; corollas salmon or copper-coloured, saucer-shaped, the 5 distinct petals spreading, oblong-elliptic, 10-15 mm long; calyx lobes 5, 4-10 mm long, margins minutely-hairy; filaments glabrous, 5-8 mm long; styles curved, about 1 cm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, nearly globe-shaped, 4-9 mm wide.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

USDA Species Characteristics

Flower Colour:
Red
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Red
Present over the

Habitat / Range

Moist to wet forests, streambanks, and bog edges in the montane and subalpine zones; common in BC west of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; N to S AK, S along coast to NW OR.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Elliottia pyroliflora

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

Minimum

Average

Maximum
Elevation (metres) 10 812 1705
Slope Gradient (%) 0 29 110
Aspect (degrees)
[0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W] 		0 215 360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
[0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic;
8 - hydric] 		0 4 8
Modal Nutrient Regime
Class		 C
Number of field plots
 species was recorded in:		 301
Modal BEC Zone Class
 MH
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in: BAFA(1), BWBS(2), CMA(3), CWH(92), ESSF(7), IDF(2), MH(188), MS(3), SBS(1), SWB(1)

Climate

The climate type for this species, as reported in the: "British Columbia plant species codes and selected attributes. Version 6 Database" (Meidinger et al. 2008), is subalpine boreal & cool mesothermal.

Synonyms and Alternate Names

Cladothamnus pyroliflorus Bong.
Elliottia pyroliflorus (Bong.) S.W. Brim & P.F. Stevens

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Ericaceae
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
 International Plant Names Index
 Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
 Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
 Google Image Search
 Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
 General Botanical References for BC
Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2024-05-17 12:19:22 AM ]
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