Mountain Laurel

Kalmia latifolia

Mountain laurel is Connecticut's state flower and the defining shrub of Appalachian slopes for a reason. In May and June, the flower clusters open in dome-shaped cymes of white to deep pink blooms, each individual flower an intricate cup with ten spring-loaded stamens that snap outward and dust visiting bumblebees with pollen when they land. Watch a bumblebee work these flowers and you're watching one of the most elegant pollination mechanisms in the plant kingdom. The thick, leathery, evergreen leaves are dark and glossy year-round. It grows slowly to a dense, substantial presence over decades. the old specimens on Appalachian ridges are gnarled and architectural, ten feet tall and decades old. In a garden, give it room and the right conditions and it will outlive everything else you plant. The combination of evergreen structure, spectacular bloom, and extraordinary floral mechanics makes this one of the most botanically interesting native plants available.