Species #52: False Azalea
False Azalea
Menziesia ferruginea
This plant has more than one common name. Others include Fool’s Huckleberry and Rusty Menziesia. Superficially, it does look like a huckleberry, but close inspection reveals several differences, including hairy leaves, different colored and shaped stems, and different looking flowers (though the bell shape is similar). This plant is a common shrub in the forests around Sitka.
[…] but it is the only species in this genus I found information on-line regarding infection of False Azalea. Assuming the species identification is correct, apparently the fungal galls (shown here) were […]
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