leatherleaf

[leth -er-leef] /ˈlɛð ərˌlif/
noun, plural leatherleaves.
1.
an evergreen shrub, Chamaedaphne calyculata, of the heath family, having leathery leaves and one-sided clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers, occurring in bogs in North America.
Origin
1810-20, Americanism; leather + leaf
Examples from the web for leatherleaf
  • Much hardier than the leatherleaf viburnum, it grows well at both extremes of its hardiness range.
  • Buttonbush, leatherleaf and alder dominate marshy areas around the pond.
  • In some areas, lake pockets contain leatherleaf dominant bog vegetation.
  • The shallow marshes are dominated by sedges, cattail and leatherleaf with an overstory of tag alder and willow.
  • Surrounding the lake is a narrow band of leatherleaf and alder with uplands comprised of mixed northern hardwoods.
  • leatherleaf and sedges intertwine to develop a peat mat which extends outward from the original shoreline.
Encyclopedia Article for leatherleaf

cassandra

(Chamaedaphne calyculata), evergreen shrub of the heath family (Ericaceae). The name is also sometimes applied to a stiff-leaved fern.

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