Purple Mountain-heath
Phyllodoce breweri · Ericaceae
- Form
- Shrub
- Height
- 4–16 in
- Sun
- Full Sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Blooms
- Jun, Jul, Aug
- Pet toxicity
- Unknown
- Habitat
- Subalpine
🌿 California native
Quick facts
- Habitat: Moist Subalpine slopes, snowbeds, and high basins
- Form / size: Low evergreen shrublet, 4–16 in
- Sun: Sun to light shade · Water: Moderate from snowmelt
- Blooms: Summer pink-purple bells · Pollinator value: Moderate
Description
A small, dense, high-country heath with tiny evergreen leaves and clusters of pink to purple bell-like flowers. It tends to form low mats or patches in the kind of cool subalpine ground where snow lingers and growing seasons stay short.
Wildlife & pollinators
Visited by small bees and other mountain pollinators.
Habitat & range
Subalpine meadows, snowbed edges, and moist rocky basins in the higher Sierra, including Mammoth high-country terrain.
In the garden
Not easy outside cool alpine or specialist native gardens. It wants excellent drainage, snowmelt-style moisture, and a short cool growing season.
Propagation
From seed or careful cuttings in specialist settings; generally a plant for alpine collectors rather than casual gardeners.
Where to see it near you
- iNaturalist — observed across California (map)
- Best sought in the higher Mammoth-adjacent basins and other subalpine parts of the Eastern Sierra.
Sources
Commonly confused with
🌿 Heather similar small shrub look, but purple mountain-heath is a true western high-country native of cold snowbed habitats.
🌿 Mountain heathers the low mounding habit and pink bells are the key field cues here.
