Kalmia buxifolia
Kalmia buxifolia

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Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Kalmia
Species:
K. buxifolia
Binomial name
Kalmia buxifolia
(Bergius) Gift & Kron
Synonyms

Leiophyllum buxifolium

Kalmia buxifolia is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae known by the common name sandmyrtle, or sand-myrtle. It is native to the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States, where it has a disjunct distribution, occurring in three separate areas. It is known from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas, and the southeastern Blue Ridge Mountains.[1]

This species is sometimes called Leiophyllum buxifolium, the only member of the monotypic genus Leiophyllum.[2] Genetic analysis supports its inclusion in genus Kalmia.[3]

This species is quite variable in appearance.[2] It is a shrub growing 10 centimeters to one meter in height. The leaves may be alternately or oppositely arranged on the stems. They are oval to lance-shaped and up to 1.4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a raceme or umbel of up to 18 flowers with white or light pink petals. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long.[4]

This species grows in a variety of habitat types in its fragmented range, including sandy plains in the Carolinas and rocky mountain woods.[1]

The Latin specific epithet buxifolia means "box-leaved", referring to species in the genus Buxus.[5]

The species [6] and the cultivar 'Maryfield' have received the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [7]

References

  1. 1 2 "Leiophyllum buxifolium". Center for Plant Conservation. 2010-09-28. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06.
  2. 1 2 Strand, A. E.; R. Wyatt (1991). "Geographical variation and biosystematics of sand myrtle, Leiophyllum buxifolium (Ericaceae)" (PDF). Systematic Botany. 16 (3): 529–545. doi:10.2307/2419341. JSTOR 2419341. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-06-21.
  3. ↑ Kron, K. A.; J. M. King (1996). "Cladistic relationships of Kalmia, Leiophyllum, and Loiseleuria (Phyllodoceae, Ericaceae) based on rbcL and nrITS data". Systematic Botany. 21 (1): 17–29. doi:10.2307/2419560. JSTOR 2419560.
  4. ↑ "Kalmia buxifolia". Flora of North America.
  5. ↑ Harrison, Lorraine (2012). RHS Latin for Gardeners. United Kingdom: Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1845337315.
  6. ↑ "Kalmia buxifolia". www.rhs.org. Royal Horticultural Society. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  7. ↑ "Kalmia buxifolia 'Maryfield'". RHS. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
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