Bog-rosemary
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 Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia in flower
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| Andromeda polifolia L. |
Bog-rosemary (Andromeda polifolia) is a heath found across northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere. Bog rosemary is only found in bogs in cold peat-accumulating areas.
It is a small shrub growing to 10-20 cm (rarely to 40 cm) tall with slender stems. The leaves are evergreen, lanceolate, 1-5 cm long and 2-8 mm broad, dark green above (purplish in winter), white beneath with the leaf margins curled under and alternately arranged. The flowers are bell-shaped, white to pink, 5-8 mm long; flowering is in late spring to early summer. The fruit is a small capsule containing numerous seeds.
There are two varieties, treated as distinct species by some botanists:
- Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia. Northern Europe and Asia, northwestern North America.
- Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla. Northeastern North America (syn. A. glaucophylla).
The name derives from the superficial resemblance of the leaves to those of the unrelated shrub Rosemary (Rosmarinus, family Lamiaceae).
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 Andromeda polifolia var. polifolia leaves |
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