Menziesia ferruginea- false azalea, fool’s huckleberry

Range: Alaska south along the coast and in the Cascades to Northern California. (Spear Cooke 1997)

Climate, elevation: From sea level to subalpine in the northern half of our region; in montane to subalpine forests from Vancouver Island south. (Pojar 1994)

Local occurrence:

Habitat preferences: Shady to open coniferous woods with acid humus, moist slopes, streambanks. (Pojar 1994) Also found in hummocks in scrub-shrub wetlands. (Spear Cooke 1997)

Plant strategy type/successional stage:  Most always associated with cold, wet habitat types, very shade tolerant. (Habeck 1992)
 
Associated species: Overstory; subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa), Pacific silver fir (A. amabilis), western redcedar (Thuja plicata), mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana), western hemlock (T. heterophylla), and Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii). Understory; blue huckleberry (Vaccinium globulare), smooth woodrush (Luzula hitchcockii), and on higher sites, white rhododendron (Rhododendron albiflorum). (Habeck 1992)

May be collected as: Not specified.

Collection restrictions or guidelines: Flowers from late May thru early July. (Habeck 1992)

Seed germination: Little information is available on the propagation of this species. It appears to be capable of layering, and the seeds are wind or gravity dispersed. (Habeck 1992)

Seed life: Not specified.

Recommended seed storage conditions: Not specified.

Propagation recommendations: Requires a special soil fungus to survive that does not thrive when transplanted. (Spear Cooke 1997)

Soil or medium requirements: Not specified.

Installation form: Not specified.

Recommended planting density: Not specified.

Care requirements after installed: Not specified.

Normal rate of growth or spread: Not specified.

Sources cited:

 
Habeck, R. J. 1992. Menziesia ferruginea. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. 
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, 
Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). 
Available: http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/ [2004, May 17].

Pojar, J., MacKinnon, A. (1994). Plants of the Pacific Northwest Coast. Lone Pine Publishing Vancouver British Columbia.

Spear Cooke, S. (1997). A Field Guide to the Common Wetland Plants of Western Washington & Northern Oregon. Seattle Audubon Society. Seattle, WA.

Data compiled by: Jennifer Boardman, 05/17/2004