Sheep-laurel facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Sheep-laurel |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Kalmia
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| Species: |
angustifolia
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Kalmia angustifolia is a pretty flowering plant often called sheep laurel. It's a type of shrub and belongs to the plant family called Ericaceae. You can find it growing in eastern North America, from Canada (Ontario and Quebec) down to Virginia in the USA.
It likes dry places, especially in the boreal forests. After a forest fire or when trees are cut down, sheep laurel can grow a lot and become the main plant in those areas. Like many plants that grow in poor soil, it has evergreen leaves. This means its leaves stay green all year round! It also works with tiny fungi in the soil to help it get nutrients. You might also spot it in drier parts of peat bogs.
What Does Sheep-Laurel Look Like?
This plant has small, lovely flowers that are a deep crimson-pink color. They usually bloom in early summer. Each flower has five sepals (which are like small leaves protecting the bud). It also has a corolla made of five petals that are joined together. Inside, there are ten stamens (the parts that make pollen) attached to the petals.
Bumble bees and other types of bees help to pollinate these flowers. After pollination, each mature seed pod, called a capsule, holds about 180 tiny seeds.
In the wild, sheep laurel can grow to different heights. It might be as short as 15 cm (6 in) or as tall as 90 cm (35 in). New shoots can grow from special underground stems called rhizomes. Forest fires can actually encourage these new shoots to grow!
The leaves of the sheep laurel are narrow and stay green all year. They are lighter in color on their underside. A cool thing about this plant is that its leaves often grow in groups of three around the stem. The scientific name angustifolia comes from Latin and means "narrow-leaved." This perfectly describes its leaves! Also, the flowers usually grow in circles or clusters below the very top of the stem, not right at the tip.
Growing Sheep-Laurel in Your Garden
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People sometimes grow Kalmia angustifolia in their gardens because it's a beautiful plant. It's an ornamental shrub, which means it's grown for its looks.
If you want to grow sheep laurel, it prefers soil that is a bit wet and acidic. It also likes places that have some shade, not full sun all day.
This plant is so nice that the Royal Horticultural Society gave it an Award of Garden Merit. This award means it's a great plant for gardens. There are also many different types, called cultivars, that have been chosen for gardens. For example, a type called K. angustifolia f. rubra has rich red flowers and has also won this special award.
Is Sheep-Laurel Dangerous?
Sheep laurel contains a substance called andromedotoxin. This is a type of glycoside, which is a chemical compound. Andromedotoxin is poisonous to mammals, including humans and many animals.
Because it's poisonous, sheep laurel can be a problem in fields where animals like sheep or cows graze. Several of its common names show how toxic it is. People sometimes call it 'lamb-kill', 'sheep kill', 'calf-kill', 'pig laurel', 'sheep-laurel', and 'sheep-poison'. It's also known as narrow-leaved laurel or dwarf laurel.
