Cassiope tetragona
| Cassiope tetragona | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Hardiness: | 3 |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-8.4 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 1' |
| Width: | 0.5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Late Spring |
| Native to: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Cassiope tetragona (common name: white arctic mountain heather)
Propagation: Seed - we have no details for this species but we would suggest surface-sowing sowing the seed as soon as it is ripe or in late winter in a well-drained ericaceous compost in a cold frame. Do not allow the compost to dry out. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in a greenhouse for at least their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Layering in August[1]. Alternatively, dig up the plant in early spring and replant it 10 - 20cm deeper in the soil. The buried branches will form roots and these can be divided and replanted in the autumn of the following year[2].
Cuttings of half-ripe shoots, 2 -3cm with a heel, in a shady frame in August. Do not remove the leaves or allow the cuttings to dry out. Fair percentage[1].
Cultivation: Requires a lime-free well-drained but moistish soil and protection from bright sunlight[3][4][5]. Another report says that the plant tolerates some lime[2] whilst yet another report says that it is calcicole (requires a lime-rich soil)[6].
Plants seldom live long in the drier and warmer areas of the country, growing better in the west and north[7]. They prefer a colder winter than is normally experienced in S, Britain, with a covering of snow for protection and are hardy to at least -15°c[4][2].
Range: N. Europe, Northern N. America, N. Asia.
Habitat: Dryish stony or sandy heaths or tundra, usually in mountainous areas[6].
Usage: The plant, combined with mosses and lichens, has been used as an insulation material in houses[8]
The plant makes a good tinder[8].
Used for fuel[9][8]. Considering the size of the plant (up to 30cm), this use must be born out of desperation in areas with very few woody plants[K].
Pollinators: Insects
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Also Known As: Andromeda tetragona.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.