Type of Flower
Mountain Laurel:
Mountain Laurel or Kalmia latifolia, normally called mountain-laurel,calico-bush,or spoonwood is a species of flowering flora inwards the huckleberry family, Ericaceae, that is native to the eastern United States. Its attain stretches from southern Maine southward to northern Florida, too due west to Indiana too Louisiana. Mountain-laurel is the solid soil bloom of Connecticut too Pennsylvania. It is the namesake of the urban amount of Laurel, Mississippi (founded 1882).
It is an evergreen shrub growing to 3–9 one thousand tall. The leaves are 3–12 cm long too 1–4 cm wide. Its flowers are round, ranging from lite pinkish to white, too occurring inwards clusters. There are several named cultivars today that convey darker shades of pink, close cerise too maroon pigment. It blooms inwards May too June. All parts of the flora are poisonous. Roots are fibrous too matted.
The flora is naturally flora on rocky slopes too mountainous woods areas. It thrives inwards acidic soil, preferring a soil pH inwards the 4.5 to 5.5 range. The flora oft grows inwards large thickets, roofing corking areas of woods floor. In North America it tin larn tree sized on undeveloped mountains of the Carolinas but is a shrub further north.The species is a frequent constituent of oak-heath forests.
Mountain laurel is poisonous to several unlike animals due to grayanotoxin too arbutin,including horses,goats, cattle, deer, monkeys too humans.The greenish parts of the plant, flowers, twigs, too pollen are all toxic,including nutrient products made from them, such equally toxic dear that may create neurotoxic too gastrointestinal symptoms inwards humans eating to a greater extent than than a pocket-sized amount.Fortunately the dear is sufficiently bitter to discourage most people from eating it, whereas it does non impairment bees sufficiently to foreclose its role equally wintertime bee fodder. Symptoms of toxicity create down to look nigh half dozen hours next ingestion.Symptoms include irregular or difficulty breathing, anorexia, repeated swallowing, profuse salivation, watering of the eyes too nose, cardiac distress, incoordination, depression, vomiting, frequent defecation, weakness, convulsions, paralysis, coma, too eventually death. Autopsy volition exhibit gastrointestinal irritation too hemorrhage.
The flora was originally brought to Europe equally an ornamental flora during the 18th century. It is even too thus widely grown for its attractive flowers. Numerous cultivars convey been selected alongside varying bloom color. Many of the cultivars convey originated from the Connecticut Experiment Station inwards Hamden too from the flora breeding of physician Richard Jaynes. Jaynes has numerous named varieties that he has created too is considered the world's ascendance on Kalmia latifolia.
The wood of the mount laurel is heavy too rigid but brittle, alongside a close, at nowadays grain.It has never been a feasible commercial crop equally it does non grow large enough, yet it is suitable for wreaths, furniture, bowls too other household items.It was used inwards the early on 19th century inwards wooden-works clocks.Burls were used for pipage bowls inwards house of imported briar burls.It tin travel used for handrails or guard rails, specifically mount laurel handrail.
References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kalmia_latifolia