Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lyonia mariana
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Staggerbush at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
Readily distinguished vegetatively by the broadly elliptic leaves borne at an ascending 45 degree angle, with bright pink axillary buds, per Weakley's Flora (2022)
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lyonia mariana
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Lyonia mariana
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-11-004:
Lyonia mariana FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Neopieris mariana
COMMON NAME:
Staggerbush, Large-flowered Fetterbush
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_lyma2_001_lvd
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_nema4_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm060423_087
April Berkeley County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Corolla more than 5mm broad, usually white, per Vascular Flora of the Carolinas (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968).
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JK Marlow jkm060423_088
April Berkeley County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Flower size alone (3/8-5/8" length) distinguishes this from other Lyonia, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
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JK Marlow jkm090516_146
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
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JK Marlow jkm090516_146b
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Broadly elliptic leaves ascending at 45 degrees, w bright pink axillary buds, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
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JK Marlow jkm090516_202
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
Flowers subtended by conspicuous purplish-red 1/4-3/8" sepals, per Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006).
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JK Marlow jkm090516_206
May Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
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Will Stuart wil_lmariana_0868
May Chesterfield County NC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
A perennial, rhizomatous shrub forming loose colonies, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
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Will Stuart wil_lmariana_0868b
May Chesterfield County NC
Carolina Sandhills National Wildlife Refuge
Flowers in clusters from nodes of leafless branches, each at tip of an arching or drooping stalk, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
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Sharleen Johnson shj_706866270751398
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Lyonia mariana
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Lyonia mariana
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Lyonia mariana
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-11-004:
Lyonia mariana
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Neopieris mariana
886
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: pine flatwoods, savannas, pocosin-sandhill ecotones, less commonly in dry rocky woodlands in the lower Piedmont (especially with chestnut oak), per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Coastal Plain (uncommon in Piedmont)
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous or Semi-evergreen
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White
Bisexual
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed urceolate corolla
10 stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p129
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p246
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p111
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p296
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p164
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p204
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p170