False-azalea, an erect shrub, 2 to 6 feet high, belonging to the heath family 

 (Ericaceae), has slender branches, deciduous leaves, and white, bell-shaped 

 flowers. It is also variously known as small azalea, white-flowered rhododendron, 

 Rocky Mountain rhododendron, and snowbrush ; the latter name, in use by stock- 

 men of the Northwest, is more correctly applied to Ccanothus vclutinus. The 

 generic name means like the genus Azalea, in which this plant is classified by 

 some botanists, and the specific name albiflorum is Latin for white-flowered. 



False-azalea is distributed from British Columbia to Oregon, northern Idaho, 

 and western Montana. It has also been collected locally in northern Colorado. 

 Presumably it also occurs in the mountains of western Wyoming, but apparently 

 has never been collected there. In the Northwest it is one of the most charac- 

 teristic shrubs of the Hudsonian life zone, which embraces in that region area? 

 extending from about 5,000 feet to timber line. At the higher elevations it 

 grows under stands of alpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), whitebark pine (Pinus 

 albicaulis), and mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertcnsiana) , or sometimes occurs 

 in open parks, meadows, or browse stands bordering the timber. In some 

 localities false-azalea also grows at lower elevations in the somber depths of 

 moist forests of western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) and silver fir (Abies 

 amabilis), or occasionally with other coniferous species. In the Rocky Moun- 

 tains this shrub usually occupies moist, northern slopes, being commonly asso- 

 ciated with lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), alpine fir, and Engelmann spruce 

 (Picea engelmanni) . Although it usually occurs in scattered patches, false- 

 azalea grows in abundance on some mountainous ranges, where it is often 

 one of the dominant undershruhs. 



This species is unquestionably poisonous ; it has been reliably reported as the 

 source of sheep losses in the Northwest as well as on the Routt National Forest 

 in Colorado. The palatability of false-azalea is usually very low and, under 

 ordinary circumstances, livestock avoid grazing the leafage. On this account, 

 ranges, where it is common, can be grazed without harmful results, if utilized 

 on a conservative basis. Washington sheepmen have learned by costly experi- 

 ence that sickness or even death frequently results if they confine their flocks 

 too closely to areas on which this plant occurs. However, general observations 

 indicate that sheep can eat the leafage of false-azalea in small quantities 

 without harm. 



According to Marsh, 1 experiments indicate that this plant is usually more 

 poisonous than the closely related menziesias, or fools'-huckleberries (Mensiesia 

 spp.), but less dangerous than the deadly blacklaurel (Leucothoe davisiae). 

 False-azalea, as well as many other members of the heath family, contains a 

 poisonous substance called andromedotoxin ; the symptoms are practically simi- 

 lar in all cases of so-called laurel poisoning. The poisoned animals are de- 

 pressed and weakened, as shown by a staggering gait, or inability to stand, and 

 irregular breathing; other symptoms including frothing at the mouth, nausea 

 usually accompanied by vomiting and frequently by grinding of the teeth. Pre- 

 vention is the most practical control as little has been accomplished in the way 

 of remedial treatment. Anything which aids in the elimination of the poison is 

 beneficial and to this end laxatives such as Epsom salts in 4-ounce doses may 

 be given. 



False-azalea is the only species of Azaleastrum of any significance in the 

 United States. A. warrenii, a low nearly hairless plant found in the high 

 mountains of Colorado, is the only other western species which has been 

 described. The genus is poorly defined, however, and many botanists merge it 

 with Rhododendron or Azalea. False-azalea is rather distinctive, however, and 

 can readily be separated from the western species, at least, of these two genera. 

 It is a smaller shrub, has thin, deciduous leaves, and lateral, few-flowered 

 clusters of small white flowers, usually less than an inch in length ; the 10 

 stamens do not protrude beyond the corolla. In contrast, coast rhododendron 

 (Rhododendron calif ornicum) , the only true rhododendron growing in the West, 

 has shiny evergreen leaves and large, rose-pink flowers having 10 stamens. 

 Western azalea (Azalea occidentalism, the only true azalea native to the West, 

 has deciduous leaves and fragrant white or pink flowers with five exserted 

 stamens. 



1 Marsh, C. D. STOCK-POISONING PLANTS OF THE HANGE. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bull. 1245, 

 rev., 75 pp., illus. 1929. Supersedes Bull. 575. 



