Elliottia pyroliflora – copperbush
Common Name
copperbush
Family
Ericaceae
Scientific Name
Elliottia pyroliflora
Alternate Scientific Name
- Cladothamnus pyroliflorus
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR)
- Dry (D)
- Moderately Dry (MD)
- Medium (M)
- Wet (W)
Soil Nutrient Regime (SNR)
- Poor (P)
Video link
Hitchcock, C. Leo, and Arthur Cronquist. Flora of the Pacific Northwest: An Illustrated Manual © 1973. Reprinted with permission of the University of Washington Press.
Photo Gallery
General / Habitat
- Medium-sized shrub
- Grows in moist forests (often mountain hemlock) and along stream banks
- Montane and subalpine areas
Key Identifying Characteristics
- Grows up to 2 m tall, with loose, shredding, copper-coloured bark
- Leaves: Alternate leaves that appear whorled, deciduous, covered in waxy powder, 2-5 cm long, and broadest at the tip.
- Flowers: Usually single, with coppery pink petals
- Fruit: Round, many-seeded capsules
Lookalikes
- white-flowered rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum)
- has shiny leaves with rusty hairs on top
- false azalea (Menziesia ferruginea)
- has hairy, bluish green leaves that smell skunky when crushed
Co-occurring Species
- In forests, typically grows alongside mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana); in thickets, often alongside white-flowered rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum)and false azalea (Menziesia ferruginea)
External References
Sources
Douglas, G.W. et al (Editors). 1998-2002. Illustrated Flora of British Columbia, Volumes 1 to 8. B.C. Min. Environ., Lands and Parks, and B.C. Min. For., Victoria, B.C.
Pojar, J. and A. MacKinnon. 2014. Plants of Coastal British Columbia Including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. B.C. Ministry of Forestry and Lone Pine Publishing. Vancouver, B.C.