Menziesia ferruginea
Menziesia ferruginea
Menziesia ferruginea is a plant of the genus Menziesien ( Menziesia ) in the family Ericaceae ( Ericaceae ). Its distribution area covers the north-west and western North America.
Description
Menziesia ferruginea grows as an upright, well-branched shrub that can reach heights of growth of 1 to 2.5 meters and often forms thickets. Young twigs are finely hairy and glandular. The bark of older branches is cracked and has no hair on.
The oblong- elliptic to ovate - elliptic, 3-6 cm wide leaves sitting at a 2-4 mm long stalk. The leaf margins are glandular - ciliate, the states are hair sideways on the sheet edge. The lower leaf surface is light green colored, while the upper leaf surface is densely glandular or hairy.
The flowering period extends from May to July, where the flowers occur simultaneously with the first leaves. The flowers are in 1 to 3 inches long hanging or standing upright, slightly hairy stalks. The 6 to 10 millimeters long and about 5 mm wide flowers consist of greenish to yellowish petals, which usually have a reddish or bronze tint. The nectar-rich flowers floor has eight, only dimly discernible notches. The pfriemförmigen stamens are hairy at the base. The spherical ovary is glandular, but has no hair on. After the heyday develop from the flowers 5-8 mm wide, ovate to oblong - ovate capsule fruits. Most of these fruit capsules are glabrous. The oblong, dull brown seeds, 2.5 to 3 millimeters long. Each seed has two, about 1 millimeter long Anghängsel.
The chromosome number is 2n = 26
Distribution and location
The natural range of Menziesia ferruginea includes the northwest and west of Canada and the United States. In Canada, you will find the kind in Yukon, British Columbia and Alberta. In the United States it occurs in Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and California.
Menziesia ferruginea is found in damp, shady forests as well as on stream banks at altitude 700-1900 meters.
System
Menziesia ferruginea is occasionally divided into two subspecies:
- Menziesia ferruginea subsp. ferruginea is found in the coastal areas and in the Cascade Range.
- Menziesia ferruginea subsp. glabella ( A. Gray ) Calder & Roy L. Taylor is found in the Rocky Mountains. A synonym is Menziesia glabella A. Gray
The existence of the subspecies is supported neither by chemical nor by morphological studies.
Use
Because of the fall color of the leaves Menziesia ferruginea is often grown as an ornamental plant. The leaves and branches were formerly used by the Indians as a medicine. Since the sheets Andromedotoxin included, it may cause symptoms of poisoning in both humans and animals.
Swell
- Template: Internet resource / maintenance / access date is not in the ISO FormatMenziesia ferruginea. In: Flora of North America. www.eFloras.org, accessed on 20 December 2010 (English ).