Mountain Laurel (Kalmia latifolia)
NATIVE RANGE:
Eastern North America
DESCRIPTION:
This evergreen shrub prefers rocky, acidic soils, and the higher altitudes of the Appalachian mountains. Growing to a maximum height of 30 feet (9 meters) it is distinguish mainly by its clusters of pink or white springtime flowers.
REPRODUCTION:
Many flowers attract their pollinators by enticing them with nectar and then give them a sweet energy boost in return for their visit. Some attract pollinators by smell or color, some are even designed to be pollinated by passing wind. Mountain laurels, however, have a much more forceful approach to their reproduction.
How mountain laurels attract their visitors is still a bit of a mystery, because they don’t produce much nectar, but when an insect does land, the flower becomes the aggressor. Mountain laurel stamens are tucked into the petals and kept under tension. When an insect lands on the flower, the tension is release and the stamens catapault their pollen onto the insect faster than the insect can fly away.
