Leucothoe axillaris
Coast Leucothoe, Dog-hobble
Ericaceae
ExpandHabitat:
- native to Virginia down through Florida
- hardy to zone 6 and warmer parts of 5
Habitat and Form:
- an evergreen shrub
- 2' to 4' tall
- 6' wide
- widespreading branches
- medium-coarse texture
- moderate growth rate
Summer Foliage:
- alternate leaf arrangement
- simple, evergreen leaves
- ovate leaf shape
- 2" to 4" long
- 2" wide
- uneven serration to entire margins
- leathery, dark green leaf
Fall Foliage:
- reddish, bronze winter color
Flowers:
- white flowers
- flowers borne in axillary racemes
- up to 2.5" long
Fruit:
- brown capsule
- not ornamentally important
Bark:
- stems mix of green and red
- glabrous and shiny
- zigzag stem pattern
Culture:
- prefers moist, cool, acid soils
- best in partial shade
- can rejuvenate old plants by pruning to ground in spring
- protect from winter wind
Landscape use:
- naturalizing
- borders with other ericaceous plants
- facer plants with taller plants
- shady bank stabilization
Liabilities:
- desiccation burn in winter in exposed sites
- leaf spot can be a problem in area with poor air circulation
- hard to find
ID Features:
- plant is shorter and broader than L. fontanesiana
- colonizing habit
- evergreen, alternate, 2-4" long leaves with variable margins
- racemes of white urn-shaped flowers in axil
- reddish bronze winter color
Propagation:
- cutting root readily in June or winter root easily with hormone
- seed
Cultivars/Varieties:
'Compacta' (perhaps the same as 'Nana') - This is a dwarf, dense form reaching only 2' tall and wider. 'Augusta Evans Wilson', 'Beulah' and 'Macaria' are similar dwarf selections.
'Dodd's Variegated' - This cultivar has leaves mottled with creamy white.
'Greensprite' - Perhaps the most common commercial cultivar, this plant features arching, somewhat stiff branches that carry narrow evergreen leaves. It reaches 6' tall with a spread of 10'.
'Sarah's Choice' - A low, mounded plant 4' tall and wide, this selection features profuse bloom and reddish new foliage.