| Andromeda polifolia | |
|---|---|
| Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia in flower | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Ericaceae |
| Genus: | Andromeda L. |
| Species: | A. polifolia |
| Binomial name | |
| Andromeda polifolia L. |
|
Andromeda polifolia, commonly known as Bog-rosemary, is a heath found across northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. It is the only member of its genus. Bog rosemary is only found in bogs in cold peat-accumulating areas.
It is a small shrub growing to 10–20 centimetres (4–8 in) (rarely to 40 centimetres, 16 in) tall with slender stems. The leaves are evergreen, alternately arranged, lanceolate, 1–5 centimetres (0.4–2.0 in) long and 2–8 millimetres (0.08–0.31 in) broad, dark green above (purplish in winter) and white beneath with the leaf margins curled under. The flowers are bell-shaped, white to pink, 5–8 mm (0.20–0.31 in) long; flowering is in late spring to early summer. The fruit is a small capsule containing numerous seeds.
Bog-rosemary contains grayanotoxin, which when ingested lowers blood pressure, and may cause respiratory problems, dizziness, vomiting, or diarrhoea.[1]
There are two varieties, treated as distinct species by some botanists:
The genus was named by Carl Linnaeus who observed it during his 1732 expedition to Lapland and compared the plant to Andromeda from Greek mythology. The species name derives from the superficial resemblance of the leaves to those of the unrelated shrub Rosemary (Rosmarinus, family Lamiaceae).
Andromeda is also the common name for plants in the genus Pieris, which is also a member of Ericaceae.