Chamaedaphne calyculata

The Leather Leaf is a dwarf, evergreen shrub which produces leathery, alternate and elliptic leaves. This species is a branchy shrub, with numerous erect, thin branches arising from the plant base or main stalk. Leaves produced are 4cm long, green on top, with a light green to yellow underside they have white or brownish scales which give off an aromatic fragrance. This shrub retains its leaves all year, during the winter leaves turn a red-brown colour. Tiny, white bell-shaped flowers appear in clusters at the branch tips from May to early June. The Leather Leaf produces 2.5mm long, five-chambered, spherical-shaped fruit capsules from its flowering bodies during the fall. These chambers open during the winter to release the seeds.

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Scientific Name: Chamaedaphne calyculata
Type: Shrub
Height: 1m
Spread: 1m
Moisture Level: moist, wet
Light Conditions: full sun, part sun
Soil Conditions: sand, loam, acidic
Zone (Hardiness of Canada): 0 to 6