NCBG

Plant Family:

Leucothoe fontanesiana

Leucothoe fontanesiana (Steud.) Sleumer

mountain doghobble, highland doghobble, switch-ivy

Synonym(s): Leucothoe axillaris var. editorum, Leucothoe catesbaei, Leucothoe editorum

Leucothoe fontanesiana (Mountain Doghobble)

image by Cressler, Alan M.

NCBG PLANT INDEX
ID_PLANT: LEFO
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leucothoe fontanesiana
GENUS: Leucothoe
FAMILY: ERICAC - Ericaceae (Heath Family)

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES
INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT: 6 ft.

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub

LEAF ARRANGEMENT:
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Apr-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x	x

BLOOM COLOR: White flowers

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x

FRUITING PERIOD: Sep-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: VA, NC, TN, SC & GA

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text: Mountain doghobble is found primarily in the Blue Ridge Mountains, though some populations make it into the Piedmont. Despite being a mountain species, it is a very tough plant that is adaptable a wide range of environmental conditions. Mountain doghobble usually grows as a low, arching shrub, and does very well in full shade. It has creamy white flowers clustered at the ends of its branches in spring.

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE: Average, Moist/Wet
LIGHT EXPOSURE: Part Shade, Shade
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 6
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE: 8
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE: Bee Friendly

USDA PLANTS DATABASE
USDA Symbol: LEFO
USDA Common Name: Highland Doghobble
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (AL, GA, KY, MA, MD, NC, NJ, NY, SC, TN, VA)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub

NATIONAL WETLAND INDICATOR STATUS

Region:	AGCP	AK	AW	CB	EMP	GP	HI	MW	NCNE	WMVE
Status:	FACW				FACW			FACW	FACW

This information is derived from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers 2016 National Wetland Plant List, Version 3.3 (Lichvar, R.W., D.L. Banks, W.N. Kirchner, and N.C. Melvin. 2016. The National Wetland Plant List: 2016 wetland ratings. Phytoneuron 2016-30: 1-17. Published 28 April 2016. ISSN 2153 733X). Regions: AGCP-Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain, AK-Alaska, AW-Arid West, CB-Caribbean, EMP-Eastern Mountains and Piedmont, GP-Great Plains, HI-Hawaii, MW-Midwest, NCNE-Northcentral and Northeast, WMCV-Western Mountains, Valleys & Coast

WEAKLEY FLORA
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Leucothoe fontanesiana
COMMON NAME: Mountain Doghobble, Switch-ivy
SYNONYMY: [= FNA, GW, K, L, Va, W; = L. axillaris var. editorum (Fernald & Schubert) H.E. Ahles - RAB; = L. walteri (Willdenow) Melvin - C, Pa; = L. editorum Fernald & Schubert - F, G; = L. catesbaei (Walter) Gray - S]
PHENOLOGY: Apr-May; Sep-Oct.
HABITAT: Moist slopes, streambanks, ravines, often associated with Rhododendron maximum thickets.
COMMENTS: A Southern Appalachian endemic: sw. VA south through w. NC and e. TN to nw. GA.
RANGE MAP: Leucothoe fontanesiana.png

Key to Map Symbols.

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Ericaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Heath Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 107-124 genera and 3400-4100 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, which is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape.
REFERENCE: Tucker in FNA (2009); Gillespie & Kron (2010, 2013); Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Leucothoe D. Don 1834 (Fetterbush, Leucothoe)
SUMMARY: A genus of 5 species, shrubs, of Japan, Himalayan Asia, w. North America, and e. North America.
REFERENCE: Judd et al. (2013)= Z; Tucker in FNA (2009); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004). [also see Agarista and Eubotrys]

HERBARIUM RESOURCES
SERNEC: Find Leucothoe fontanesiana in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Leucothoe fontanesiana in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES
USDA: Find Leucothoe fontanesiana in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Leucothoe fontanesiana in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Leucothoe fontanesiana in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Leucothoe fontanesiana

NCBG RECORD
ID IMAGE1: 12546
ID IMAGE2: 15276
ID IMAGE3: 12546
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2017-09-24