Leatherleaf

Chamaedaphne calyculata
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Ericales Family: Ericaceae Genus: Chamaedaphne Moench Species: C. calyculata
Binomial name
Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench

The Leather leaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata) is a shrub in the plant family Ericaceae and the only species in the genus Chamaedaphne. It has a wide distribution throughout the cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere.

It is a low-growing shrub up to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are alternately arranged on the branch and elliptical to oblong shaped, 3–4 cm long, with minute scales and lighter coloration on the underside, and an entire or irregularly toothed margin. They are evergreen but often turn red-brown in winter. The flowers are small (5–6 mm long), white, and bell-like, produced in panicles up to 12 cm long. The species site is restricted to bogs, where they naturally form large clonal colonies.

The name Chamaedaphne comes from the latin for "ground laurel"; the common name comes from its tough, leather-like leaf.

Leather leaf is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species including Coleophora ledi.

References

• Flora of China: Chamaedaphne
• Natural history of the northwoods: Chamaedaphne

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