Menziesia ferruginea
Encyclopedia
Menziesia ferruginea is a species of flowering plant in the heath family
known by several common names, including rusty menziesia, false huckleberry, and mock azalea. It is native to northwestern North America from Alaska
through the Pacific Northwest
to Wyoming
, where it is a member of the flora in mountain forests. It grows in the understory
of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis), western redcedar
(Thuja plicata), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and other conifers
. The plant prefers cold, wet, densely vegetated areas where it can grow in deep shade.
This is a mostly erect or spreading shrub
often exceeding 3 meters in height, reaching shorter maximum heights at higher elevations. Its branches are coated in thin, scaly, shreddy bark and its twigs with fine glandular hairs. The alternately arranged deciduous
leaves are oval in shape with pointed tips, reaching 4 to 6 centimeters long. The leaves are hairy, glandular, and sticky in texture, and have an unpleasant skunklike
odor when crushed. The inflorescence
is a loose cluster of hanging bell- or cup-shaped flowers in shades of pink to orange to yellow-green. The flower has 4 to 5 petals which are mostly fused into a cylinder, and eight stamen
s inside. The fruit is a valved capsule under a centimeter long which contains many seeds.
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...
known by several common names, including rusty menziesia, false huckleberry, and mock azalea. It is native to northwestern North America from Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
through the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
to Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, where it is a member of the flora in mountain forests. It grows in the understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis), western redcedar
Thuja plicata
Thuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
(Thuja plicata), western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla), and other conifers
Pinophyta
The conifers, division Pinophyta, also known as division Coniferophyta or Coniferae, are one of 13 or 14 division level taxa within the Kingdom Plantae. Pinophytes are gymnosperms. They are cone-bearing seed plants with vascular tissue; all extant conifers are woody plants, the great majority being...
. The plant prefers cold, wet, densely vegetated areas where it can grow in deep shade.
This is a mostly erect or spreading 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...
often exceeding 3 meters in height, reaching shorter maximum heights at higher elevations. Its branches are coated in thin, scaly, shreddy bark and its twigs with fine glandular hairs. The alternately arranged deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
leaves are oval in shape with pointed tips, reaching 4 to 6 centimeters long. The leaves are hairy, glandular, and sticky in texture, and have an unpleasant skunklike
Skunk
Skunks are mammals best known for their ability to secrete a liquid with a strong, foul odor. General appearance varies from species to species, from black-and-white to brown or cream colored. Skunks belong to the family Mephitidae and to the order Carnivora...
odor when crushed. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
is a loose cluster of hanging bell- or cup-shaped flowers in shades of pink to orange to yellow-green. The flower has 4 to 5 petals which are mostly fused into a cylinder, and eight stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s inside. The fruit is a valved capsule under a centimeter long which contains many seeds.