Cassiope mertensiana

Classification System: APG IV

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Regnum: Plantae
Cladus: Angiosperms
Cladus: Eudicots
Cladus: Core eudicots
Cladus: Asterids
Ordo: Ericales

Familia: Ericaceae
Subfamilia: Cassiopoideae
Genus: Cassiope
Species: Cassiope mertensiana
Varietas: C. m. var. gracilis
Name

Cassiope mertensiana (Bong.) G.Don, 1834
Synonyms

Andromeda cupressina Hook.
Andromeda mertensiana Bong.

Distribution
Native distribution areas:

Continental:Northern America
Alaska, USA (California, Idaho, Oregon, Washington State), Canada (Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon)

References: Brummitt, R.K. 2001. TDWG – World Geographical Scheme for Recording Plant Distributions, 2nd Edition
References
Primary references

Don, G. 1834. A general history of the dichlamydeous plants, comprising complete descriptions of the different orders; ...; the whole arranged according to the natural system. Vol. III. — Calyciiflorae. VIII+867 pp. J.G. and F. Rivington, et al., London. BHL Reference page. : 3:829.

Links

Hassler, M. 2020. Cassiope mertensiana. World Plants: Synonymic Checklists of the Vascular Plants of the World In: Roskovh, Y., Abucay, L., Orrell, T., Nicolson, D., Bailly, N., Kirk, P., Bourgoin, T., DeWalt, R.E., Decock, W., De Wever, A., Nieukerken, E. van, Zarucchi, J. & Penev, L., eds. 2020. Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Apr 21. Reference page.
Govaerts, R. et al. 2020. Cassiope mertensiana in Kew Science Plants of the World online. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Apr 21. Reference page.
International Plant Names Index. 2020. Cassiope mertensiana. Published online. Accessed: Apr 21 2020.
Tropicos.org 2020. Cassiope mertensiana. Missouri Botanical Garden. Published on the internet. Accessed: 2020 Apr 21.
USDA, ARS, Germplasm Resources Information Network. Cassiope mertensiana in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service. Accessed: 07-Oct-06.

Vernacular names
English: Western moss heather

Cassiope mertensiana is a species of flowering plant known by the common names western moss heather and white mountain heather.

This heather is native to subalpine areas of western North America, from Alaska to the mountains of California. It is a small, branching shrub which forms patches along the ground and in rocky crevices.[1]
Description

Cassiope mertensiana has short, erect, snakelike stems that are covered in tiny leathery scalelike leaves only a few millimeters long. From between the layers of scale leaves emerge reddish pedicels each bearing a petite, hanging, down-facing, bell-shaped flower. The bractlets are red and the contrasting flower is white.
The white flower contrasts with the red bractlets.

Although the shrub tends to grow in areas where there is a lot of accumulation of snow, adequate rain precipitation is needed for the continued growth of Cassiope Mertensiana. The shrub must be exposed to enough sunlight and warmer conditions for proper growth during the growing season. [2]
References

Brietzke, Chanda; Starzomski, Brian. "White mountain-heather, western moss heather, Cassiope mertensiana". Biodiversity of the Central Coast. Retrieved 17 March 2015.

Rayback, Shelly A.; Lini, Andrea; Berg, David L. (2012). "The dendroclimatological potential of an alpine shrub, cassiope mertensiana, from mount rainier, wa, usa". Geografiska Annaler: Series A, Physical Geography. 94 (3): 413–427. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0459.2012.00463.x. S2CID 140554134.

Lini, A., & Berg, D. L. (2012, May 25). THE DENDROCLIMATOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF AN ALPINE SHRUB, CASSIOPE MERTENSIANA, FROM MOUNT RAINIER, WA, USA. Retrieved March 3, 2020, from http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-0459.2012.00463.x/abstract