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Ericaceae
Mountain Heather
Cassiope mertensiana
Alpine purity and perseverance.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Genus
- Cassiope
- Native to
- Western North America, Alaska
- Bloom season
- Summer
- Type
- shrub
- Height
- 4-12 in
- Sunlight
- full sun to partial shade
- Soil
- acidic, moist, well-drained
- Water
- moderate
- Hardiness
- 3-7
- Lifespan
- perennial
Did you know
- Mountain heather grows at elevations up to 11,000 feet, thriving in conditions where most plants cannot survive.
- The tiny, bell-shaped flowers dangle from thread-like stems, earning it the nickname 'white mountain bells.'
- It was named after Karl Heinrich Mertens, a German botanist who explored the Pacific Northwest in the 1820s.
- The genus Cassiope is named after the vain Ethiopian queen of Greek mythology.
- Mountain goats and pikas browse on its evergreen foliage when snow covers other food sources at high elevations.
Color meanings
0
endurance
1
quiet beauty
2
mountain solitude