Cassiope tetragona

Common Names

White Arctic Mountain Heather, Arctic Bell-Heather, Arctic White Heather, Four-Angled Mountain-Heather, Four-Angled Moss-Heather, 4-Angled Cassiope

Summary

Arctic white heather is a circumpolar, evergreen, mat-forming dwarf shrub with decumbent to erect stems that form dense mats. Leaves are evergreen, opposite and four-ranked, 2–6 mm long, narrowly triangular and grooved, densely imbricate; flowers are solitary in leaf axils to a few near branch tips, on slender pedicels 10–25 mm long, with white to pinkish, bell-shaped corollas (4–10 mm) and five sepals.

Cultivation emphasizes lime-free, well-drained but moist soil with semi-shade, and can be grown in an alpine house; propagation includes seed surface-sown ripe or late winter in ericaceous compost, cuttings of half-ripe shoots with heel (2–3 cm) in a shady frame, layering in August, or division from buried branches; hardy to USDA zones 3–7; ornamental for rock, alpine, and container gardens, offering year-round evergreen foliage with low maintenance.

Lifecycle

Perennial

Height

2-12 inches

Spread

6-8 inches

Hardiness Zones

Zones 2-7

Sunlight Requirements

Ideally full sun to partial shade.

Soil Type

Well-drained, humous, moist soil, pH ~4.5–6.5

Soil Drainage

Well-drained soil (not waterlogged)

Soil pH

4.5–7.5, mildly acidic to mildly alkaline soils

Bloom Color

White

Bloom Time

Spring and Summer

Foliage Color

Dark green

Fall Foliage Color

Green (evergreen)

Leaf Lifecycle

Evergreen broadleaf

Growth Rate

Very slow growth

Seasons of Interest

Spring and Summer

Propagation Methods

Seeds, Layering, Cuttings

Attracts Wildlife

Attracts bees