Kalmia 
latifolia 
THE, 
MOUNTAIN LAURLL 
O NE of the grandest of 
our native broad - 
leaved evergreen 
shrubs, often attaining tree¬ 
like proportions in our south¬ 
ern mountains. In cultiva¬ 
tion it is a broad, thick shrub, 
and when in full bloom is 
of surpassing beauty. The 
wheel-shaped flowers are set 
in close corymbs on the ends 
of the stems, pure white to 
pink, and appear in May or 
June in such profusion as to 
almost smother the foliage. 
Its thick, shiny leaves arc 
conspicuous the year round, 
making it a shrub of greatest 
value for massing, and giving 
a striking evergreen effect. 
The hardiness of Kalmia lati - 
folia is beyond doubt, it be¬ 
ing found sparingly in Nova 
Scotia and increasing in 
abundance through New Eng¬ 
land and the middle Atlantic 
States (particularly in the 
higher latitudes) till the crest 
of the Southern Alleghanies 
is reached, where, in the true 
American home of the broad- 
leaved Ericacerr , perfect con¬ 
ditions of soil and climate 
are found, producing such a 
luxuriance of growth as to 
form veritable jungles of goi- 
geous beauty, miles in extent. 
Kalmia latifolia at the water’s edge 
5 
