Kalmia latifolia

Distribution Map: Based on vouchered plant specimens from wild populations. Cultivated occurrences are not mapped. View county names by placing the cursor over the map.

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Family:	ERICACEAE
Species:	Kalmia latifolia L.
Common Name:	MOUNTAIN LAUREL
Status:	Native, Threatened-State, FACW (DEP), FACU (NWPL)
Specimen:	View details of USF Herbarium specimens

** Not applicable or data not available.

Classification

Division
Class
Sub Class
Order	ERICALES
Family	ERICACEAE
Genus	Kalmia
Species	Kalmia latifolia L. - MOUNTAIN LAUREL

Citation

Citation	KALMIA LATIFOLIA Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 391. 1753.
Basionym:	**
Type:	Without data (lectotype: Plukenet, Phytographia t. 379(6). 1705). Lectotypified by Reveal, in C. E. Jarvis et al., Regn. Veg. 127: 58. 1993.

** Not applicable or data not available.

Source

County	Herbaria	Literature Citation (If Applicable)
Bay	FSU
Calhoun	USF
Escambia	FLAS
Gadsden	USF
Holmes	USF
Leon	FTG
Liberty	FLAS
Okaloosa	USF
Santa Rosa	USF
Suwannee	FLAS
Walton	USF
Washington	FSU

Synonyms

– Denotes synonyms that are applicable to the state. Show these synonyms only

Synonym	Full Citation	Basionym	Type
Chamaedaphne latifolia	Chamaedaphne latifolia (Linnaeus) Kuntze, Revis. Gen. Pl. 2: 388. 1891.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus 1753.
Kalmia ferruginea	Kalmia ferruginea Rafinesque, Autik. Bot. 86. 1840.		TYPE: PENNSYLVANIA:
Kalmia latifolia forma alba	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma alba (Bosse) Rehder, Rhodora 12: 2. 1910.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. alba Bosse 1841.
Kalmia latifolia forma angustata	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma angustata Rehder, J. Arnold Arbor. 26: 481. 1945.		TYPE: NEW JERSEY: Cape May Co.: Dennis Twp., 21 Mar 1944, Scribner s.n. (holotype: A).
Kalmia latifolia forma fuscata	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma fuscata (Rehder) Rehder, Rhodora 12: 2. 1910.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. fuscata Rehder 1903.
Kalmia latifolia forma minor	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma minor K. Koch, Dendrologie 2: 153. 1872.
Kalmia latifolia forma myrtifolia	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma myrtifolia K. Koch, Dendrologie 2: 153. 1872.
Kalmia latifolia forma obtusata	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma obtusata (Rehder) Rehder, Rhodora 12: 2. 1910.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. obtusata Rehder 1903.
Kalmia latifolia forma polypetala	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma polypetala (G. Nicholson) Rehder, Rhodora 12: 1. 1910.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. polypetala G. Nicholson 1896.
Kalmia latifolia forma rubra	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma rubra Sweet ex K. Koch, Dendrologie 2: 152. 1872.
Kalmia latifolia var. alba	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. alba Lavalle, Enum. Arbres 139. 1877, non Bosse 1841.
Kalmia latifolia var. alba	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. alba Bosse, Vollst. Handb. Bl.-Gaertn., ed. 2. 2: 348. 1841.
Kalmia latifolia var. fuscata	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. fuscata Rehder, Moeller's Deutsche Gartn.- Zeitung 18: 578. 1903.		TYPE: NEW YORK: Columbia Co.: Canaan Four Corners, 23 Jun 1903, Childs s.n. (holotype: A).
Kalmia latifolia var. laevipes	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. laevipes Fernald, Rhodora 42: 53. 1940.		TYPE: VIRGINIA: Chesapeake Co.: Great Dismal Swamp W of Yadkin, 20 Aug 1939, Fernald & Long 11101 (holotype: GH).
Kalmia latifolia var. monstruosa	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. monstruosa Mouillefert, Traite Arbr. Arbriss. 1027. 1897.
Kalmia latifolia var. myrtifolia	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. myrtifolia Bosse, Vollst. Handb. Bl.-Gaertn., ed. 2. 2: 348. 1841.
Kalmia latifolia var. nana	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. nana Lavalle, Enum. Arbres 139. 1877.
Kalmia latifolia var. obtusata	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. obtusata Rehder, Moeller's Deutsche Gartn.- Zeitung 18: 577. 1903.		TYPE: CONNECTICUT: Windham Co.: Pomfret, s.d., Bowditch s.n. (holotype: A?).
Kalmia latifolia var. pavartii	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. pavartii Andre, Rev. Hort. 60: 541. 1888.
Kalmia latifolia var. polypetala	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. polypetala G. Nicholson, Hand-List Trees 2: 49. 1896.
Kalmia latifolia var. rubra	Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. rubra (Sweet ex K. Koch) Rehder, in L. H. Bailey, Cycl. Amer. Hort. 2: 1734. 1935.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, forma rubra Sweet ex K. Koch 1872.
Kalmia myrtifolia	Kalmia myrtifolia (Bosse) Andre, Rev. Hort. 55: 10. 1883.	BASIONYM: Kalmia latifolia Linnaeus, var. myrtifolia Bosse 1841.

Specimens

Country	State	County	Date	Specimen	Notes
USA	Florida	Santa Rosa Co.	09 Apr 1993	S. L. Orzell 21467
USA	Florida	Santa Rosa Co.	09 Apr 1993	S. L. Orzell 21454
USA	Florida	Okaloosa Co.	10 Apr 1993	S. L. Orzell 21486
USA	Florida	Holmes Co.	08 Apr 1993	S. L. Orzell 21394
USA	Florida	Walton Co.	23 Apr 1994	A. Schotz 1015
USA	Florida	Walton Co.	29 Mar 1975	L. C. Anderson 3933
USA	Florida	Gadsden Co.	27 Apr 1977	L. C. Anderson 4411
USA	Florida	Okaloosa Co.	21 Apr 1972	R. D. Suttkus 72-7-47
USA	Florida	Okaloosa Co.	21 Apr 1972	R. D. Suttkus 72-6-7
USA	Florida	Gadsden Co.	16 Apr 1955	R. K. Godfrey 53196
USA	Florida	Gadsden Co.	03 Apr 1957	R. K. Godfrey 55466
USA	Florida	Gadsden Co.	25 Feb 1955	R. K. Godfrey 52886
USA	Florida	Holmes Co.	06 Apr 1957	R. K. Godfrey 55498
USA	Florida	Walton Co.	27 Jul 1981	D. S. Correll 52246
USA	Florida	Holmes Co.	19 Apr 1982	D. S. Correll 53739
USA	Florida	Santa Rosa Co.	12 Jun 1980	G. Wilhelm 7291
USA	Florida	Calhoun Co.	14 Apr 2010	T. MacClendon 994
USA	Mississippi	Hancock Co.	24 Apr 1960	J. A. Ewan 19939	CULTIVATED.
USA	Georgia	Stephens Co.	14 May 1980	E. W. Wood 4607
USA	Alabama	Monroe Co.	15 Apr 1980	L. J. Davenport 1757
USA	Mississippi	George Co.	18 Apr 1957	J. D. Ray, Jr. 8123
USA	Mississippi	Stone Co.	15 Mar 1955	G. R. Cooley 3128
USA	Mississippi	George Co.	25 Apr 1954	D. Demaree 34938
USA	Mississippi	Jackson Co.	28 Feb 1954	D. Demaree 34725
USA	South Carolina	Oconee Co.	07 Jun 1987	S. R. Hill 18070
USA	Mississippi	George Co.	22 Aug 1953	D. Demaree 23009
USA	Mississippi	Jackson Co.	03 Aug 1952	D. Demaree 32454
USA	North Carolina	Alexander Co.	18 Oct 1971	T. Daggy 6551
USA	Tennessee	Fentress Co.	22 May 2000	V. E. McNeilus 00-476
USA	Mississippi	George Co.	25 Apr 1954	D. Demaree 34970
USA	Alabama	DeKalb Co.	04 Jun 1969	R. Kral 34928
USA	Alabama	Jackson Co.	04 Jun 1969	R. Kral 34948
USA	Mississippi	Stone Co.	17 Mar 1957	J. D. Ray, Jr. 7713
USA	Mississippi	Tishomingo Co.	09 Aug 1956	J. D. Ray, Jr. 7507
USA	Alabama	Henry Co.	29 Apr 1959	C. E. Wood, Jr. 9069
USA	North Carolina	Wilkes Co.	30 May 1967	R. L. Wyatt 832
USA	Georgia	Clay Co.	30 Apr 1980	K. D. Perkins 790
USA	Louisiana	Washington Par.	28 Sep 1968	R. D. Thomas 12455
USA	South Carolina	Oconee Co.	12 May 1973	C. L. Rodgers 73151
USA	Alabama	Mobile Co.	19 Apr 1975	R. Watters 1442
USA	Mississippi	George Co.	28 Mar 1975	R. D. Thomas 43002
USA	Louisiana	Washington Par.	07 Aug 1979	K. A. Vincent 2728
USA	North Carolina	Burke Co.	27 May 1964	R. L. Wilbur 7004
USA	Alabama	Dale Co.	06 Apr 1957	R. K. Godfrey 55477
USA	North Carolina	Franklin Co.	25 Apr 1956	A. E. Radford 10432

Listed Status: Florida

Listed Status:	(Florida):Source - Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Chapter 5B-40, Florida Administrative Code. 1998, amended.
Endangered:	A species of plants native to the state that are in imminent danger of extinction within the state, the survival of which is unlikely if the causes of a decline in the number of plants continue, and includes all species determined to be endangered or threatened pursuant to the Federal Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Threatened:	Listed as Threatened Plants in the Preservation of Native Flora of Florida Act. Defined as species of plants native to the state that are in rapid decline in the number of plants within the state, but which have not so decreased in such number as to cause them to be endangered.

Listed Status: US

Listed Status: US	(U.S.) Source - List of Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants under the provisions of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended.
Endangered:	Any species which is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range.
Threatened:	Any species which is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range.

WAP: Wetland AssessmentProcedure

Wetland Assessment Procedure (WAP): Source - Southwest Florida Water Management District, Wetland Assessment Procedure Instruction Manual for Isolated Wetlands (March 2005).

AD:	Adaptive Species. Plant species designated as FAC or Upland by DEP, but commonly seen in the transition zone in limited numbers.
D:	Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the deep zone, and designated either FAC or OBL by DEP.
OD:	Outer Deep Species. Plant species commonly found in the outer deep zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
T:	Transition Species. Plant species commonly found in the transition zone, and designated either FACW or OBL by DEP.
U:	Upland Species. Plant species that are not expected to be seen in wetlands.

ANY - WAP critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with WAP designations
No - Show results without WAP designations

FISC: Florida Invasive Species Council

FISC:

Source - Florida Invasive Species Council's 2017 List of Florida's Most Invasive Species

Category I - Species that are invading and disrupting native plant communities in Florida. This definition does not rely on the economic severity or geographic range of the problem, but on the documented ecological damage caused.

Category II - Species that have shown a potential to disrupt native plant communities. These species may become ranked as Category I, but have not yet demonstrated disruption of natural Florida communities.

DEP: Department of Environmental Protection

Wetland Status, Department of Environmental Regulation (DEP): Source - Delineation of the Landward Extent of Wetlands and Surface Waters, Chapter 62-340, Florida Administrative Code. 1994.

OBL:	Obligate wetland. Occurs almost always under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands, but occasionally found in non-wetlands
FAC:	Facultative. equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands.

NWPL: National Wetland Plant List

National Wetland Plant List (NWPL): Source - Lichvar, R.W., M. Butterwick, N.C. Melvin, and W.N. Kirchner. 2014. The National Wetland Plant List: 2014 Update of Wetland Ratings. Phytoneuron 2014-41: 1-42.

OBL:	Obligate Wetland. Occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in wetlands.
FACW:	Facultative Wetland. Usually occurs in wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in non-wetlands.
FAC:	Facultative. Equally likely to occur in wetlands or non-wetlands (estimated probability 34%-66%).
FACU:	Facultative Upland. Usually occurs in non-wetlands (estimated probability 67%-99%), but occasionally found in wetlands (estimated probability 1%-33%).
UPL:	Obligate Upland. Occurs in wetlands in another region, but occurs almost always (estimated probability 99%) under natural conditions in non-wetlands in the regions specified.

Persisting

Identifying species that appear as waifs or only periodically appear in the flora for a few seasons.

Any - Persisting critieria is not taken into consideration
Yes - Show results with a Persisting value of Y
No - Show results without Persisting value of N

Duration

Annual:	Plants that perform their entire lifecycle within a single growing season. All roots, stems, and leaves die at the end of the growing season. Over wintering seeds allow the next generation to appear.
Biennial:	A plant that is typically vegetative its first year and blooms the following season. Once it has bloomed and set seed, the plant dies. Garlic mustard is an example of a biennial.
Perennial:	These plants live for three or more seasons. Many perennials may not be mature enough to bloom during its first year. Perennial wildflowers re-grow each season from overwinter root material.

Category

Vascular:	Any of various plants that have the vascular tissues xylem and phloem. The vascular plants include all seed-bearing plants (the gymnosperms and angiosperms) and the pteridophytes (including the ferns, lycophytes, and horsetails). Also called tracheophyte.
Bryophyte:	A large group of seedless green plants including the mosses, liverworts, and hornworts. Bryophytes lack the specialized tissues xylem and phloem that circulate water and dissolved nutrients in the vascular plants. Bryophytes generally live on land but are mostly found in moist environments, for they have free-swimming sperm that require water for transport. In contrast to the vascular plants, the gametophyte (haploid) generation of bryophytes constitutes the larger plant form, while the small sporophyte (diploid) generation grows on or within the gametophyte and depends upon it for nutrition.
Lichen:	The mutualistic symbiotic association of a fungus with an alga or a cyanobacterium, or both. The fungal component of a lichen absorbs water and nutrients from the surroundings and provides a suitable environment for the alga or cyanobacterium. These live protected among the dense fungal hyphae and produce carbohydrates for the fungus by photosynthesis. Owing to this partnership, lichens can thrive in harsh environments such as mountaintops and polar regions. The more familiar lichens grow slowly as crusty patches, but lichens are found in a variety of forms, such as the tall, plantlike reindeer moss. The association between the different organisms in a lichen is so close that lichens are routinely referred to as a single organism, and scientists classify lichens using the name of the fungal component.

(Definitions from: American Heritage Science Dictionary)

Growth Habit

Intro paragraph to be provided by New York.

Vine:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Shrub:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Tree:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.
Et cetera:	DESCRIPTION TO BE PROVIDED BY NEW YORK.

State Rank

This numeric rank provides the relative rarity for each species based on a scale from 1 (very rare) to 5 (common). These ranks carry no legal status.

S1 - Typically 5 or fewer occurrences, very few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or some factor of its biology making it especially vulnerable in the state.
S2 - Typically 6 to 20 occurrences, few remaining individuals, acres, or miles of stream, or factors demonstrably making it very vulnerable in the state.
S3 - Typically 21 to 100 occurrences, limited acreage, or miles of stream in the state.
S4 - Apparently secure in the state.
S5 - Demonstrably secure in the state.
SE - State exotic or non-native.
SH - Historically known from the state, but not seen in the past 15 years.
SNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. This is mainly those species which are now excluded from flora for various reasons.
SNR - Not yet ranked.
SX - Apparently extirpated from the state.

Global Rank

Each species' global rank is determined by NatureServe. These ranks carry no legal weight. The global rank reflects the species worldwide rarity.

G1 - Critically imperiled globally because of extreme rarity (5 or fewer occurrences), or very few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or especially vulnerable to extinction because of some factor of its biology.
G2 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G3 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G4 - Imperiled globally because of rarity (6 - 20 occurrences, or few remaining acres, or miles of stream) or very vulnerable to extinction throughout its range because of other factors.
G5 - Demonstrably secure globally, though it may be quite rare in parts of its range, especially at the periphery.
GH - Historically known, with the expectation that it might be rediscovered.
GNA - Species for which a rank is not applicable. NatureServe does not typically rank hybrid species.
GNR - Not yet ranked.
GX - Species believed to be extinct.

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Associated Ecological Communities

View a List of All Ecological Communities

For more information, contact: Richard Wunderlin or Bruce Hansen, Alan Franck, or Karla Alvarado

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Citation Information:

Wunderlin, R. P., B. F. Hansen, A. R. Franck, and F. B. Essig. 2024. Atlas of Florida Plants (http://florida.plantatlas.usf.edu/). [S. M. Landry and K. N. Campbell (application development), USF Water Institute.] Institute for Systematic Botany, University of South Florida, Tampa.

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Definition: Vouchered Specimen

A voucher specimen is a pressed and thoroughly dried plant sample deposited in a herbarium, and is intended to be a permanent record supporting research purposes. A voucher may be a record of a plant's occurrence in a particular area, or a specific example of a plant used in a scientific investigation.

Proper vouchers display all the necessary attributes for complete identification of the plant, and are to be accompanied by accurate locality, habitat, collection time, and collector data.

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