General Description | Makes an excellent ground cover and is native to Canada. Does especially well on light soils and should only be used in dry locations. |
ID Characteristic | A creeping alpine with small white, pink-tinged flowers with red fruit. |
Shape | Low, spreading. |
Landscape | Large scale ground cover, used to prevent soil erosion on slopes and hillsides. |
Propagation | Seeds have impermeable seed coats and dormant embryos; acid scarification for 3-6 hours followed by 2-3 months of warm and 2-3 months of cold stratification resulted in 30-60% germination according to Michael Dirr. |
Cultivation | Grow in full sun or light shade in well-draining but moist soil that is lime-free. |
Pests | Black mildew, leaf galls and rust. |
Habitat | Cicumboreal covering Europe, Asia, North America, south to Virginia and Northern California. Covers alpine moors and heaths, on the scree and boulder, often on thin layers of peaty detritus. |
Bark/Stem Description | Reddish-brown branchlets, with papery peeling bark on older twigs. |
Flower/Leaf Bud Description | Solitary, sessile, ovoid with 3 exposed scales. |
Leaf Description | Leaves are alternate, simple, obovate or obovate-oblong and 5mm to 3 cm long. Lustrous dark green above and lighter underneath. |
Flower Description | Small white tinged pink urn-shaped flowers. Borne in nodding racemes; dainty and beautiful. |
Fruit Description | Fleshy drupe with a lustrous bright red colour. |
Colour Description | Leaves are a glossy bright green to dark green in the summer and changing to a bronze - reddish colour in autumn and winter. Foliage effect is unique and quite different from most ground covers. |
Texture Description | Fine. |