Sheep laurel is an evergreen flowering shrub in the Ericaceae (heath) familythat is native to North America from Canada south to VA in a variety of locations including moist bogs or swamps, disturbed sites, roadsides, and dry pine forests. In the wild it is found on sites that are typically dry in the summer and damp or even flooded in the spring. The genus name Kalmia is after Peter Kalm an 18th century botanist. It grows up to 3 feet tall and 6 feet wide with a tap root and a dense mat of interwoven rhizomes which allow it to form colonies. In cultivation, it prefers full sun in moist acidic soils. While it will survive it languishes in the shade. Avoid planting in windy sites. The plant can be pruned, but keep in mind that next year's blossoms will appear on old growth. Showy saucer shaped bright pink flowers form in summer in clusters below the leaves. The plant is a larval host to butterflies and moths as well as provides forage and nesting sites for birds. Use in naturalized areas, foundation plantings, or woodland settings. It works as an understory shrub and grows well in wet or boggy conditions in a landscape. It may be adaptable to southern states in mountainous areas. The var. carolina is native to coastal and mountains of NC. Insects, Diseases, and Other Plant Problems: In fields, it can be problematic for grazing animals due to toxicity. High pH soils will cause chlorosis. It can outcompete other plants and become weedy in some disturbed. It is allelopathic to conifer seedlings.
Curated pairwise relationships between this plant and others in the library — who feeds
whom, who competes, who confuses the pests. Green reads as a good pairing, red as one to avoid.
No curated interactions recorded for this species yet.
Also noted by NC State
Related species the NC State Plant Toolbox flags for this plant — look-alikes to tell
apart, and plants that play a similar role in a planting. Ones we carry in the library are linked.
Height: 1 ft. 0 in. - 3 ft. 0 in. | Width: 4 ft. 0 in. - 6 ft. 0 in.
Growth rate
Slow
Maintenance
Low
Canopy layer
3 - Shrub (3-15 ft)
Form & Appearance
Habit / form
Erect; Rounded; Spreading
Texture
Medium
Foliage
Broadleaf Evergreen
Leaf color
Blue; Green
Leaf type
Simple
Leaf arrangement
Opposite; Whorled
Leaf shape
Elliptical
Leaf margin
Entire
Leaf feel
Glossy; Leathery
Hairs present
No
Leaf detail
Oval blue-green leaves with paler undersides. Turn reddish-green to purple in fall
Fall color
Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower color
Pink; Purple/Lavender; Red/Burgundy
Flower value
Showy
Flower form
Corymb
Flower shape
Bell; Saucer
Flower detail
3/8 inch rose-pink to purplish crimson saucer to bell-shaped flowers with 5 petals and 10 stamens. They appear under leaves encircling the stem on stalked clusters from April to July.
Bloom time
Spring; Summer
Fruit color
Brown/Copper; Cream/Tan
Fruit type
Capsule
Fruit detail
Small dehiscent capsule with many seeds displays from September to October and can remain on the plant for many years.
Bark color
Light Brown; Light Gray
Stem color
Brown/Copper
Stem detail
Smooth brown erect stems
Wildlife & Ecology
Native status
Native
Origin
Eastern Canada to Eastern U.S.A
Distribution
CT, DC, DE, MA, MD, ME, MI, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, VA, VT, WV Canada: MB, NB, NS, PE
Wildlife value
Grouse and other birds forage the leaves, willow ptarmigans use the plant for nesting sites. Larval host plant to the Columbia silk moth, Northern blue butterfly (Lycaeides idas), and brown elfin butterfly.
Attracts
Butterflies; Pollinators; Small Mammals; Songbirds
Food & Medicine
Harvest time
Fall
Fruit type
Capsule
Landscape Use
Landscape theme
Butterfly Garden; Pollinator Garden
Garden tags
#evergreen #small mammals #food source herbage #food source hard mast fruit #larval host plant #food source pollen #food source nectar #Coastal FAC #Piedmont Mountains FAC #food source fall #butterfly friendly #pollinator plant #problem for dogs #problem for horses #problem for cats #bird friendly #Audubon #leathery leaves #fall color purple #FAC #flowers late spring #glossy leaves #flowers early summer #understory shrub #wet soils tolerant #disturbed areas #allelopathic #poisonous #brown elfin butterfly #fall color red #boggy sites #blue leaves #nesting site
Problems & Resistance
Problems
Allelopathic; Poisonous to Humans; Problem for Cats; Problem for Dogs; Problem for Horses; Weedy
Resistant to
Wet Soil
Poison severity
High
Poison parts
Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Seeds; Stems
Poison symptoms
May be fatal If eaten in large quantities. Salivation, watering of eyes and nose, slow pulse, nausea, vomiting, sweating, abdominal pain, headache, tingling of skin, lack of coordination, convulsions, and paralysis, diarrhea, weakness, cardiac failure.
Toxic principle
Andromedotoxin, a resinoid; arbutin, a glycoside, Grayanotoxin
Contact dermatitis
No
Toxicity summary
High severity poison; parts: Flowers; Fruits; Leaves; Seeds; Stems