Leatherleaf can form broad patches of evergreen shrubs across northern U.S. bogs. Its leathery leaves stay on the plant through winter, and small white bells hang along the branches in spring.
Appearance
Growth form
A low evergreen shrub that can reach about 5 ft (1.5 m), though many patches are shorter.
Leaves
The narrow, leathery leaves have finely toothed edges and paler undersides.
Flowers
Small white, urn-shaped flowers droop in rows along one side of a branch.
Flowering time
In Minnesota, flowering is generally from April through June.
Fruit
The flowers become small seed capsules that can remain on the plant.
Bog rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) has very narrow leaves with pale undersides and flowers grouped at branch tips. Leatherleaf has wider, finely toothed leaves and a one-sided row of white bells.
Why they get mixed up · Both are evergreen bog shrubs with small hanging flowers.
Bog laurel (Kalmia polifolia) usually has showier pink flowers in small clusters. Leatherleaf's smaller whitish flowers hang in a longer one-sided row.
Why they get mixed up · Both grow in northern bogs and keep their leaves through winter.
Where it lives
Typical habitats
Bogs
Peatlands
Wet conifer woods
Range
Native in Alaska, the Great Lakes states, and the Northeast; it has also been recorded in North Carolina.
Preferred conditions
It grows in wet, acidic and often spreads across open bogs.
Flowering
Flowers Apr–Jun
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Flowers
Flowers Apr–Jun
Growing it
Propagation
Underground stems and stems that root in wet moss help a patch spread.
Connected species
Ties with other wildlife
In North Dakota, mallards have been recorded nesting in leatherleaf. In Wisconsin, sharp-tailed grouse have eaten its twigs in winter.