The diminutive heathlike and evergreen shrub, red mountainheath, 

 is the most important of the three species of the genus growing in 

 the mountains of the Western States. The common name, moun- 

 tainheath, suggests the similarity of its foliage to the small, linear 

 leaves of the true heaths (Erica spp.) of the Old World. 



Red mountainheath inhabits subalpine and alpine zones from 

 Alaska to northern California, Colorado, and Alberta. Its occur- 

 rence throughout this range is variable, being abundant or rare, de- 

 pending on the local physical conditions and extent of the alpine 

 country. Ordinarily, it inhabits sunny but partially protected sites, 

 such as benches, rim bases and sides of ridges, or fringes the timber 

 surrounding high meadows and lakes. It most commonly grows on 

 coarse-textured, high (and probably" always acid) soils, not in- 

 frequently among boulders, and sometimes on moist, black, organic, 

 and acid soils of wet meadows. It characteristically grows in rela- 

 tively small patches, which, however, may, in the aggregate, compose 

 the principal ground cover within the type. 



Most observers agree that red mountainheath is valueless as a 

 forage plant for domestic livestock, being avoided by all classes with 

 the possible exception of sheep. Even utilization by sheep is limited 

 to areas of abnormal grazing such as occurs around bedgrounds or 

 along driveways. It has been reported * that red mountainheath is 

 poisonous to domestic livestock, but this has not been verified by 

 feeding experiments. There is ample reason to suspect that it may 

 be poisonous, as it belongs to the heath family and is closely related 

 to many plants known to be poisonous, notably the kalmias (Kalmia 

 spp.), menziesias (Menziesia spp.), and leucothoes (Lcucothoe spp.). 

 The safest practice for the stockman would be to avoid use of this 

 plant, especially in view of the fact that it often grows near and is 

 sometimes confused with the definitely poisonous kalmias. They are 

 both low, evergreen, patch-forming alpine shrubs, but western kal- 

 mias have opposite, fewer, broader, and much larger leaves, and 

 larger, wider, and not bell-like flowers; moreover, they always in- 

 habit bogs or very wet sites. The stamens of kalmias are also quite 

 different, in that the anthers are caught in pouchlike depressions. 



Red mountainheath and its two western sister species, Brewer mountain- 

 heath (P. breweri) and cream mountainheath (P. glandulijlora) , are character- 

 istic and handsome plants of the alpine zone, and add much to the beauty of 

 this cold region. Green patches of these plants constitute an integral part of 

 the landscape, and when in blossom in July and August have the appearance 

 from a distance of a large bouquet. Brewer and cream mountainheath are 

 much like red mountainheath in aspect and growth requirements. Brewer 

 mountainheath occurs throughout the higher mountains of California, has 

 similarly colored flowers, but with the petals united only half way and the sta- 

 mens longer than the petals. Cream mountainheath is readily distinguished 

 from these other two by its yellowish or cream-colored flowers. Its range is 

 from Alaska to Oregon, Wyoming, and Montana. 



The low, heathlike, alpine shrubs of the mountainheath genus are distinguish- 

 able from the other genera of the heath family by their numerous, alternate, 

 small, narrow, inrolled evergreen leaves ; rough, leaf-scarred stems ; small bell- 

 shaped, five-parted flowers, and by their globe-shaped seedpods (capsules) that 

 split along the partitions from the top down. 



1 Dayton, W. A. IMPORTANT WESTERN BROWSE PLANTS. U. S. Dept. Agr. Misc. Pub. 

 101, 214 pp., illus. 1931. 



