Kalmiopsis leachiana
Encyclopedia
Kalmiopsis is a rare flowering plant
endemic
to the Siskiyou Mountains
of southwest Oregon
, where it is specially protected in the 179755 acres (727.4 km²) Kalmiopsis Wilderness
reserve. It was discovered in 1930 by Lilla Leach in the Gold Basin area. It is related to Kalmia
in the family Ericaceae
. It is an evergreen
shrub
growing to 10-30 cm tall, with erect stems bearing spirally arranged simple leaves
2-3 cm long and 1 cm broad. The flower
s are pink-purple, in raceme
s of 6-9 together, reminiscent of small Rhododendron
flowers but flatter, with a star-like calyx of five conjoined petal
s; each flower is 1.5-2 cm diameter. The fruit
is a five-lobed capsule, which splits to release the numerous small seed
s.
Flowering plant
The flowering plants , also known as Angiospermae or Magnoliophyta, are the most diverse group of land plants. Angiosperms are seed-producing plants like the gymnosperms and can be distinguished from the gymnosperms by a series of synapomorphies...
endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
to the Siskiyou Mountains
Siskiyou Mountains
The Siskiyou Mountains are a coastal mountain range in the northern Klamath Mountains in northwestern California and southwestern Oregon in the United States. They extend in an arc for approximately from east of Crescent City, California northeast along the north side of the Klamath River into...
of southwest Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where it is specially protected in the 179755 acres (727.4 km²) Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Kalmiopsis Wilderness
Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon, within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It was designated wilderness by the United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of...
reserve. It was discovered in 1930 by Lilla Leach in the Gold Basin area. It is related to Kalmia
Kalmia
Kalmia is a genus of about 8 species of evergreen shrubs from 0.2–5 m tall, in the family Ericaceae. They are native to North America and Cuba. They grow in acidic soils, with different species in wet acid bog habitats and dry, sandy soils Kalmia is a genus of about 8 species of evergreen shrubs...
in the family Ericaceae
Ericaceae
The Ericaceae, commonly known as the heath or heather family, is a group of mostly calcifuge flowering plants. The family is large, with roughly 4000 species spread across 126 genera, making it the 14th most speciose family of flowering plants...
. It is an evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
shrub
Shrub
A shrub or bush is distinguished from a tree by its multiple stems and shorter height, usually under 5–6 m tall. A large number of plants may become either shrubs or trees, depending on the growing conditions they experience...
growing to 10-30 cm tall, with erect stems bearing spirally arranged simple leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
2-3 cm long and 1 cm broad. The flower
Flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants . The biological function of a flower is to effect reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism for the union of sperm with eggs...
s are pink-purple, in raceme
Raceme
A raceme is a type of inflorescence that is unbranched and indeterminate and bears pedicellate flowers — flowers having short floral stalks called pedicels — along the axis. In botany, axis means a shoot, in this case one bearing the flowers. In a raceme, the oldest flowers are borne...
s of 6-9 together, reminiscent of small Rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
flowers but flatter, with a star-like calyx of five conjoined petal
Petal
Petals are modified leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They often are brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. Together, all of the petals of a flower are called a corolla. Petals are usually accompanied by another set of special leaves called sepals lying...
s; each flower is 1.5-2 cm diameter. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a five-lobed capsule, which splits to release the numerous small seed
Seed
A seed is a small embryonic plant enclosed in a covering called the seed coat, usually with some stored food. It is the product of the ripened ovule of gymnosperm and angiosperm plants which occurs after fertilization and some growth within the mother plant...
s.
External links
- NRCS: USDA Plants Profile Kalmiopsis leachiana, OR: http://plants.usda.gov/java/county?state_name=Oregon&statefips=41&symbol=KALE
- Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest - Kalmiopsis Wilderness
- Guide to the Lilla Leach papers at the University of Oregon
- Kalmiopsis leachiana | survival in a land of extremes
- The Nature Conservancy