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You are here: Home / Plant Profile

Kalmia latifolia L.
mountain laurel



General Information
Symbol: KALA
Group: Dicot
Family: Ericaceae
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub
Tree
Native Status: L48   N
Characteristics
Data Source and Documentation
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Plants-NRCS Logos
green round image for nativity Native blue round image for introduced Introduced ocre round image for introduced and nativity Both white round image for no status Absent/Unreported
image for native, but no county data Native, No County Data image for introduced, but no county data Introduced, No County Data both introduced and native, but no county data Both, No County Data
Native Status:
lower 48 status L48    Alaska status AK    Hawaii status HI    Puerto Rico status PR    Virgin Islands status VI    Navassa Island NAV    Canada status CAN    Greenland status GL    Saint Pierre and Michelon status SPM    North America NA   

Images

click on a thumbnail to view an image, or see all the Kalmia thumbnails at the Plants Gallery

©J.S. Peterson. USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center (NPDC). United States, DC, Washington, USDA ARS National Arboretum. June 13, 2002. Usage Requirements.

©J.S. Peterson. USDA NRCS National Plant Data Center (NPDC). United States, DC, Washington, USDA ARS National Arboretum. June 13, 2002. Usage Requirements.

Steve Hurst. Provided by ARS Systematic Botany and Mycology Laboratory. United States, DC, Washington. Usage Requirements.

©Ted Bodner. James H. Miller and Karl V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press., Athens. Provided by University of Georgia Press. Scanned by Forestry Images. Usage Requirements.

©Ted Bodner. James H. Miller and Karl V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press., Athens. Provided by University of Georgia Press. Scanned by Forestry Images. Usage Requirements.

©Ted Bodner. James H. Miller and Karl V. Miller. 2005. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. University of Georgia Press., Athens. Provided by University of Georgia Press. Scanned by Forestry Images. Usage Requirements.

©Elaine Haug. Provided by Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany. United States, VA, Quantico, Prince William Forest Park. Usage Requirements.

©Elaine Haug. Provided by Smithsonian Institution, Department of Botany. United States, VA, Quantico, Prince William Forest Park. Usage Requirements.

©Richard A. Howard. Provided by Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection. United States, MA, Boxford, Walte. Usage Requirements.

©Richard A. Howard. Provided by Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection. United States, MA, Boxford, Walte. Usage Requirements.

©Richard A. Howard. Provided by Smithsonian Institution, Richard A. Howard Photograph Collection. United States, CT. Usage Requirements.

©Jeff McMillian. Provided by Almost Eden. United States, GA. Usage Requirements.

©Jeff McMillian. Provided by Almost Eden. United States, GA. Usage Requirements.

©Jeff McMillian. Provided by Almost Eden. United States, GA. Usage Requirements.

©Jeff McMillian. Provided by Almost Eden. United States, GA. Usage Requirements.

W.D. Brush. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. Usage Requirements.

Daniel O. Todd. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, NC, Nantahala National Forest. 1961. Usage Requirements.

W.H. Shaffer. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, NC, Pisgah National Forest. 1940. Usage Requirements.

E.S. Shipp. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, VA, George Washington National Forest. 1932. Usage Requirements.

E.S. Shipp. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, WV, Monongahela National Forest. 1927. Usage Requirements.

Daniel O. Todd. Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, NC. 1952. Usage Requirements.

Provided by National Agricultural Library. Originally from USDA Forest Service. United States, DC, Washington. Usage Requirements.

Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913. An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British Possessions. 3 vols. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York. Vol. 2: 684. Provided by Kentucky Native Plant Society. Scanned by Omnitek Inc. Usage Requirements.

USDA NRCS. Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide to plant species. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. Provided by NRCS National Wetland Team. Usage Requirements.

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Synonyms

Symbol Scientific Name
KALAL Kalmia latifolia L. var. laevipes Fernald

Classification

Click on a scientific name below to expand it in the PLANTS Classification Report.
Rank Scientific Name and Common Name
Kingdom Plantae – Plants
Subkingdom Tracheobionta – Vascular plants
Superdivision Spermatophyta – Seed plants
Division Magnoliophyta – Flowering plants
Class Magnoliopsida – Dicotyledons
Subclass Dilleniidae
Order Ericales
Family Ericaceae – Heath family
Genus Kalmia L. – laurel
Species Kalmia latifolia L. – mountain laurel

Subordinate Taxa

This plant has no children

Legal Status

Threatened and Endangered Information:
This plant is listed by the U.S. federal government or a state. Common names are from state and federal lists. Click on a place name to get a complete protected plant list for that location.
Florida
mountain laurel
Threatened
Maine
mountain-laurel
Special Concern
New York
mountain laurel
Exploitably Vulnerable

Wetland Status

Interpreting Wetland Status

North America
Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain FACU
Eastern Mountains and Piedmont FACU
Midwest FACU
Northcentral & Northeast FACU

Wildlife

Food

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds
Martin Low Minor Minor
Miller Minor Low

Cover

Source Large Mammals Small Mammals Water Birds Terrestrial Birds
Martin
Miller Moderate Moderate

Sources

Martin, A.C., H.S. Zim, and A.L. Nelson. 1951. American wildlife and plants: A guide to wildlife food habits. Dover Publications. New York.
Miller, J.H., and K.V. Miller. 1999. Forest plants of the southeast and their wildlife uses. Southern Weed Science Society.

Description of Values

Value Class Food Cover
High Average 25-50% of diet Regular source of cover
Low 5-10% of diet Infrequently used as cover
Minor 2-5% of diet Sparsely used as cover
Moderate Average 10-25% of diet Occasional source of cover

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