Andromeda polifolia
A circumboreal, evergreen bog shrub with creeping roots and narrow glaucous leaves, bearing small pale bell-shaped flowers that are white to pink and five-locular capsules, thriving in consistently moist, highly acidic peat soils and containing grayanotoxins.
Common Names
Bog Rosemary, Marsh Andromeda, Moorwort
Summary
Bog rosemary is an evergreen shrub with creeping rootstocks that form loose clumps; it is circumboreal in distribution, native to bogs, fens, and swamps in northern temperate and subarctic regions, and features narrow leathery blue-green leaves with glaucous undersides and nodding urn-shaped flowers that are white to pale pink.
Preferring damp, acidic soils that are lime-free, it grows best in sun to partial shade and tolerates wet conditions; hardy to USDA zones 2–6 and spreads slowly by suckers; propagation is possible by seed or stem cuttings; plant it as an ornamental in bog gardens, borders, ponds, or containers, while handling with care since all parts are toxic if ingested.
Lifecycle
Perennial
Height
2-31.5 inches
Spread
2-3 feet
Hardiness Zones
Zones 2-6
Sunlight Requirements
Ideally partial shade; tolerates full sun, full shade, and partial sun.
Soil Type
Acidic, lime-free, moisture-retentive, humus-rich peat soil (pH 4.0–5.5)
Soil Drainage
Consistently moist, poorly drained (boggy) soil
Soil pH
4.0-5.5
Bloom Color
White to pink
Bloom Time
Spring
Foliage Color
Blue-green to dark green
Fall Foliage Color
Green
Leaf Lifecycle
Evergreen broadleaf
Growth Rate
Slow
Seasons of Interest
Spring and Summer
Propagation Methods
Seeds, Cuttings, Layering, Division
Attracts Wildlife
Attracts bees, butterflies, and other pollinators (syrphid flies)
Taxonomy
- Taxonomic Rank
- Species
- Author
- L.
- Publication
- Sp. Pl. : 393 (1753)
Superior Taxa
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Subkingdom
- Pteridobiotina
- Phylum
- Angiosperms
- Order
- Ericales
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Subfamily
- Vaccinioideae
- Genus
- Andromeda
Synonyms
Rhododendron polifolium Andromeda polifolia var. media Andromeda americana Andromeda canadensis Andromeda canescens Andromeda glaucifolia Andromeda glaucophylla Andromeda glaucophylla var. iodandra Andromeda glaucophylla f. latifolia Andromeda glaucophylla var. latifolia Andromeda myrifica Andromeda polifolia var. angustifolia Andromeda polifolia var. concolor Andromeda polifolia f. concolor Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla Andromeda polifolia f. humilis Andromeda polifolia subsp. humilis Andromeda polifolia var. latifolia Andromeda polifolia var. latifolia Andromeda polifolia subsp. pumila Andromeda polifolia var. pusilla Andromeda rosmarinifolia Andromeda secunda Andromeda polifolia subsp. polifolia Andromeda glaucophylla var. glaucophylla Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia Andromeda pumila Andromeda polifolia subsp. glaucophylla Andromeda polifolia var. rosmarinifolia Andromeda rosmarinifolia