Mountain Laurel
Mountain Laurel (Photo by Rachel Dressler)
During this snowy season, I often catch myself daydreaming about the onset of spring. Warm weather, rainy days, flowers blossoming, birds singing— all signs of life “springing” back after a period of winter dormancy. Perhaps you can relate. This week I’d like to indulge in the spirit of spring by talking about Pennsylvania’s state flower, the Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia).
Calico Bush, Ivy Bush, Sheepkill, Spoonwood, Mountain Ivy, Laurel, Mountain Laurel— all names for this broadleaf evergreen shrub native to the Eastern U.S. Governor Gifford Pinchot designated Mountain Laurel as Pennsylvania’s state flower in 1933, perhaps because it was so prolific and widely dispersed across the state, though public concern for its conservation may have also influenced this decision. In the early 1800s, Mountain Laurel was cultivated as an ornamental, exotic plant in English gardens. Since then, English breeders have shipped numerous varieties of Mountain Laurel back to the U.S. as a potted plant. Now, there are at least 75 cultivars available today
As an evergreen, Mountain Laurels keep their broad, leathery leaves through the winter. Creating dense, gnarly thickets, mature Mountain Laurels average from seven to ten feet in height, although some individuals have been recorded as tall as 40 feet! Surprisingly, Mountain Laurels actually grow slowly, only reaching four to eight feet over a decade. From late May to late June, Mountain Laurels can be seen blooming across the state. With flowers ranging from white to blush pink, their fused petals create a distinct saucer shape-- or they could be more whimsically described as looking like a upside down parasol. Something extraordinary happens as Mountain Laurels bloom. When blooming, the filaments attach to the antlers, pulling them backward in an arc, essentially creating a tiny trigger for a flowery catapult. When a bumblebee or other insect visits the flower, the filaments catapult sacs of pollen onto the underside of the pollinator. What a fantastically intricate and effective tactic! [1]
While the Mountain Laurel plant may be poisonous, even lethal, to livestock and humans, it is foraged by eastern cotton-tails, white-tail deer, black bear, and ruffed grouse particularly during the winter or food shortages. Beyond food, Mountain Laurels also provide cover for species such as white-tailed deer, black bear, eastern screech owl, ruffed grouse, and song birds. Black bears even create dens in mountain laurel thickets.
By preventing soil erosion and water runoff on mountain hillsides, Mountain Laurel stabilizes soils. In the southern Appalachian Mountains, researchers found that eliminating dense Mountain Laurel stands greatly increased water runoff. In forest restoration projects, Mountain Laurel is often used to stabilize thin soils [2].
Thank you for indulging in thoughts of spring with me. Soon enough we’ll once again enjoy the bounty of Mountain Laurel blossoms across our beautiful state.
Sources:
[1] https://extension.psu.edu/mountain-laurel#:~:text=Governor%20Gifford%20Pinchot%20dubbed %20mountain%20laurel%20the%20state,for%20conservation%20might%20have%20also%20pl ayed%20a%20role.
[2] https://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/plants/shrub/kallat/all.html
Written by Faith Forry — February 24, 2021
