




Kalmia angustifolia
Sheep laurel is a pretty shrub with lovely pink flowers that bloom in spring. It grows in cool, shady places and is a favorite of many little creatures in the forest.
Habitat: Wetlands
The sheep laurel is a small, upright evergreen shrub with narrow, leathery leaves that remain green year-round. It has clusters of distinct cup-shaped, bright pink to deep magenta flowers, making it visually stand out in its typically green or brown habitat.





Category
PlantsRarity
Common
Danger
3/5 · Moderate
Snaps
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Early settlers sometimes used its strong, flexible wood to make small tools and handles!
Its unique 'spring-loaded' stamens snap open to dust pollinators with pollen!
Sheep laurel is an evergreen, keeping its leaves all winter long even in the snow!
The scientific name, Kalmia, honors a famous Swedish botanist named Pehr Kalm!
Sheep laurel produces toxic compounds called grayanotoxins that help it deter hungry herbivores from eating its leaves and stems.
Its tough, evergreen leaves allow it to photosynthesize and survive through cold winters when many other plants have lost their foliage.
The flowers have 'spring-loaded' stamens that snap open to fling pollen onto visiting insects, ensuring effective pollination.
Bombus impatiens
collects nectar and pollen
Apis mellifera
visits flowers for nectar
Chrysomela kalmiae
larvae and adults feed on leaves
Bell-shaped flowers possess petals fused or arranged to form a cup-like or campanulate structure resembling a bell.
Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.
Spring blooming plants produce their flowers during the spring season, often signifying the end of winter and the start of new growth.
Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
Forest habitats are terrestrial environments dominated by dense tree cover, supporting a high diversity of plant and animal life.
This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.
Poisonous organisms produce toxins that can cause harm when ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through contact.
Danger
3/5 · Moderate
Do not touch or eat any part of the sheep laurel plant, as it can be harmful.
50-150 cm
50-150 cm
0.5-1 cm
Late spring to early summer
No
High
Perennial
Insect
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