Mountain Laurel
Kalmia latifolia
native
Other Names:
Ivy-laurel, Ivy-bush, Calico-bush, American Laurel, Spoonwood, Lambkill
Mountain Laurel is a native shrub found throughout Virginia and is popular with many species of birds. A Mountain Laurel flower is on the logo of the MPNature website; it is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania, and the city of Laurel, Mississippi, was named after it. In Washington, DC, the streets are arranged alphabetically by letters, two-syllable words, three syllable words, and then the names of flowers and trees. The "K" street in the last category is Kalmia, which is the genus of the Mountain Laurel. The genus is named after the 18th century Swedish botanist Peter Kalm. The foliage of Mountain Laurel can be infected by at least 14 different species of fungi, and it suffers from an assortment of environmentally caused leaf disorders. A common disorder is caused by a fungus called Mycosphaerella colorata, which affects many of the Mountain Laurel shrubs at Monticello Park and in the surrounding neighborhood. (See photos below.)
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