''Kalmia buxifolia'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae known by the common name sandmyrtle, or sand-myrtle. It is native to the mid-Atlantic and southeastern United States, where it has a

disjunct distribution In biology, a taxon with a disjunct distribution is one that has two or more groups that are related but considerably separated from each other geographically. The causes are varied and might demonstrate either the expansion or contraction of a s ...

, occurring in three separate areas. It is known from the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, the Coastal Plain of the Carolinas, and the southeastern Blue Ridge Mountains. This species is sometimes called ''Leiophyllum buxifolium'', the only member of the monotypic genus ''Leiophyllum''. Genetic analysis supports its inclusion in genus ''Kalmia''. This species is quite variable in appearance. It is a

shrub A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...

growing 10 centimeters to one meter in height. The leaves may be alternately or oppositely arranged on the stems. They are oval to lance-shaped and up to 1.4 centimeters long. The inflorescence is a

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the s ...

or umbel of up to 18 flowers with white or light pink petals. The fruit is a capsule a few millimeters long. This species grows in a variety of habitat types in its fragmented range, including sandy plains in the Carolinas and rocky mountain woods. The Latin

specific epithet In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called nomenclature ("two-name naming system") or binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, bot ...

''buxifolia'' means "box-leaved", referring to species in the genus '' Buxus''. The species and the cultivar 'Maryfield' have received the Royal Horticultural Society's

Award of Garden Merit The Award of Garden Merit (AGM) is a long-established annual award for plants by the British Royal Horticultural Society (RHS). It is based on assessment of the plants' performance under UK growing conditions. History The Award of Garden Merit ...

References

External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q4210528 buxifolia Flora of the Northeastern United States Flora of the Southeastern United States