Alaskan mountain-heather, Alaskan bellheather, Alaskan moss-heather • Harrimanella stelleriana
Identification
Alaskan mountain-heather is a small shrub that may form low-lying mats, with stems reaching 15 cm long. It has evergreen, needle-like leaves with rounded undersides. The flowers are white, nodding, bell-shaped, and generally about 5 mm long.
Habitat & Range
Alaskan mountain-heather grows at subalpine to alpine elevations, in heath, meadows and rocky and gravelly slopes and creek-beds. It is more commonly found in northwestern BC, Yukon Territory and Alaska, but also ranges south to southern BC and Washington state. It can also be found in eastern Siberia and Japan.
Similar Species
Many species of mountain-heather may grow in close proximity and are very similar, including pink mountain-heather and yellow mountain-heather. These species can be very hard to tell apart when not in flower. Alaskan mountain-heather has leaves that are rounded on the underside, rather than grooved, like pink and yellow mountain-heather. Alaskan mountain-heather has white bell-shaped flowers, while pink mountain-heather has pink flowers, and yellow mountain-heather has pale yellow, urn-shaped flowers. Another species that is quite similar is white mountain-heather, which also has white flowers. Its leaves are more scale-like, however, which sets it apart. Crowberry is yet another species that looks quite similar to the mountain-heathers, but it has very small and inconspicuous flowers and smaller, shorter leaves. The leaves are also grooved on the underside, unlike Alaskan mountain-heather.
Intriguing Info
Alaskan mountain-heather was sometimes classified as Cassiope stelleriana, but more commonly it is in the genus Harrimanella. A partial explanation for the classification and some great photos of extensive fields of Alaskan mountain-heather can be seen here, on the UBC Botanical Garden webpage.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/144145-Harrimanella-stelleriana
Alaskan mountain-heather is a small shrub that may form low-lying mats, with stems reaching 15 cm long. It has evergreen, needle-like leaves with rounded undersides. The flowers are white, nodding, bell-shaped, and generally about 5 mm long.
Habitat & Range
Alaskan mountain-heather grows at subalpine to alpine elevations, in heath, meadows and rocky and gravelly slopes and creek-beds. It is more commonly found in northwestern BC, Yukon Territory and Alaska, but also ranges south to southern BC and Washington state. It can also be found in eastern Siberia and Japan.
Similar Species
Many species of mountain-heather may grow in close proximity and are very similar, including pink mountain-heather and yellow mountain-heather. These species can be very hard to tell apart when not in flower. Alaskan mountain-heather has leaves that are rounded on the underside, rather than grooved, like pink and yellow mountain-heather. Alaskan mountain-heather has white bell-shaped flowers, while pink mountain-heather has pink flowers, and yellow mountain-heather has pale yellow, urn-shaped flowers. Another species that is quite similar is white mountain-heather, which also has white flowers. Its leaves are more scale-like, however, which sets it apart. Crowberry is yet another species that looks quite similar to the mountain-heathers, but it has very small and inconspicuous flowers and smaller, shorter leaves. The leaves are also grooved on the underside, unlike Alaskan mountain-heather.
Intriguing Info
Alaskan mountain-heather was sometimes classified as Cassiope stelleriana, but more commonly it is in the genus Harrimanella. A partial explanation for the classification and some great photos of extensive fields of Alaskan mountain-heather can be seen here, on the UBC Botanical Garden webpage.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/144145-Harrimanella-stelleriana
References
Harrimanella stelleriana (Pall.) Coville. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 29/03/2012.
Harrimanella stelleriana (Pall.) Coville. USDA Plants Profile. Accessed 29/03/2013.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 62.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke and Brian Starzomski (2013).
Harrimanella stelleriana (Pall.) Coville. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Ed.). E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. Accessed on 29/03/2012.
Harrimanella stelleriana (Pall.) Coville. USDA Plants Profile. Accessed 29/03/2013.
Pojar, J. and MacKinnon, A. (2005). Plants of Coastal British Columbia, Revised. Vancouver, BC: Lone Pine Publishing. P. 62.
Authors and editors of page
Chanda Brietzke and Brian Starzomski (2013).