Western Bog Laurel
Kalmia microphylla
Western bog laurel is a dwarf evergreen laurel of western mountain bogs and wet meadows, studded with rose-purple flowers. A specialist for cold, wet, acidic ground whose foliage carries toxic andromedotoxins — which is exactly why browsing deer leave it alone.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Type
- shrub
- Lifespan
- perennial
- Height
- 1–1 ft
- Spacing
- 1–3 ft apart
- Light
- sun
- Soil moisture
- moist
- Soil pH
- acidic, neutral
- Bloom
- April, May
- Bloom colors
- purple
- Wildlife value
- pollinators, larval host
- Caterpillar hosts
- ~33 butterfly & moth species
- Landscape uses
- border, rain garden
- Native states
- AK, CA, CO, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY