Description
Lyonia – Huckleberry – Fetterbush –
There are about 35 species of deciduous and evergreen shrubs sometimes small trees, in this genus. They occur in Southeastern and Eastern Asia, Eastern USA, Mexico and the Antilles, generally occurring in woodland. They have simple, pointed, glossy, leathery leaves, held alternately, and are grown for their dense axillary, pendent racemes or clusters of white, pink, or cream, urn shaped flowers, sometimes bell shaped, ovoid or cylindrical flowers borne on previous years growth. Suitable for a woodland garden.
Grow in acidic to neutral, mode4rately fertile, humus rich, moist but well drained soil in partial or deep shade. Intolerant of drought.
Prone to tar spot, rust, and leaf gall.
L. mariana – Stagger bush – This rounded, deciduous shrub from Eastern USA grows 6′ feet tall and 4′ feet wide. It produces oblong, elliptic, or narrowly obovate, leathery, dark green leaves, to 3″ long, red in autumn, dotted with brown glands beneath. In late spring into summer it bears pendent , bell shaped, white to pink tinged flowers, to ½” long, are held in many flowered, umbel like racemes. Able to grow in quite boggy ground.
Zones 6-9
