Virginia Tech Dendrology

white mountain heather Ericaceae Cassiope mertensiana (Bong.) G. Don Listen to the Latin Link to this fact sheet symbol: CAME7
Leaf: Opposite, simple, evergreen, narrowly ovate to lanceolate, 1/4 inch long, thick and keeled, held close to the twig in a scale-like fashion, shiny dark green.
Flower: Small (1/4 inch), white (or light pink) attractive bell-shaped flowers, hang from a 1 inch stem, appear near twig ends in early summer.
Fruit: Small (1/4 inch), round, 4 or 5 valved capsules.
Twig: Covered in green, scale-like foliage.
Bark: Light reddish brown.
Form: Prostrate and sprawling mat or upright, clumpy shrub reaching 1 foot in height.
 leaf flower fruit twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information: Cassiope mertensiana is native to North America. Range may be expanded by planting. Download the full-size PDF map.
External Links: USDA Plants Database
All material © 2019 Virginia Tech Dept. of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation; Photos and text by: John Seiler, Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera, and John Peterson; Silvics reprinted from Ag Handbook 654; range map source information