BOTANICAL AND ECOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS
SPECIES: Menziesia ferruginea | Menziesia 



GENERAL BOTANICAL CHARACTERISTICS : 
Menziesia is an erect, decidous shrub 3.3 to 6.6 feet (1-2 m) tall.
Ovate-elliptic to elliptic-obovate leaves are 1.5 to 2.5 inches (4-6 cm)
long and exude a skunky oder when crushed.  Menziesia has scaly bark on
older branches, while the young twigs are covered with fine hair [20].
The fruits are oval capsules containing many seeds 0.20 to 0.28 inch
(5-7 mm) long.  The leaves and stems of this shrub are sticky to the
touch [25,26,44].

Menziesia decreases in height with increasing elevation.  This would
imply that menziesia's height is generally at its maximum on western
hemlock sites, and at its minimum on mountain hemlock and subalpine fir
sites [34].


RAUNKIAER LIFE FORM : 
   Phanerophyte


REGENERATION PROCESSES : 
Seed production and dispersal:  Numerous small seeds are produced in
capsules which dehisce naturally at maturity.  Seeds are wind or gravity
dispersed.

Vegetative Reproduction:  Menziesia resprouts from root crowns and
adventitious stem buds after destruction of aboveground parts.  When
covered with ash from Mt. St. Helen's, menziesia produced adventitious
roots [3].  This plant also appears to be capable of layering.  Layering
is an effective means of growth and expansion at high elevations where
heavy snowpacks press menziesia branches close to the ground [10].  On
steep slopes, menziesia tends to grow downhill with the tips of its
branches ascending [35].


SITE CHARACTERISTICS : 
Menziesia is a common shade-tolerant shrub, found predominantly on
steep, northerly exposures with abundant moisture [17,20,25,26].
Menziesia generally occurs from 3,300 to 7,500 feet (1,000-2,300 m) in
elevation on 15 to 60 percent slopes [11,29,50].  Absence from extreme
northern distributions may imply a limitation to cold temperatures.
Menziesia may be restricted to areas with adequate snow cover, which
protects plants from winter desiccation [25].  In Oregon, menziesia is
typically found on high-elevation sites where frequent frost, heavy
snowpacks, and short growing seasons are common [6].

The presence of menziesia has been reported as being a particularly good
indicator of site potential [13].  Menziesia often grows under dense
canopies, in openings, and on cut-over forest land, especially on
well-drained slopes [53].  Mueggler [42] found the distribution of
menziesia in cedar-hemlock stands to be positively associated with low
soil potassium content, and high organic matter content (5.6 to 8.0
percent).

Soils:  Soil depth usually ranges from 17 to 70 inches (43-178 cm).
Soils are generally derived from loam to sandy-loam pumice layers to a
depth of 15 to 30 inches (38-76 cm) [6,11,24].  In central Idaho, soil
acidity ranges from pH 5.1 to 6.2; litter depth can average at least 3.5
inches (9 cm) [6,11].  Effective rooting depth in Oregon is
approximately 46 inches (117 cm) [6].


SUCCESSIONAL STATUS : 
Menziesia is most always associated with cold, wet habitat types.
Menziesia is very shade tolerant.  It can persist in heavily shaded
forests where light levels are typically 5 percent of full sunlight.
Alaback [1] reported that menziesia decreased in biomass productivity in
Alaskan spruce-hemlock forests over 30 years of age.  Menziesia biomass
was lowest in stands 31 to 130 years old, but after this period
increased.  In western Montana, burning increased menziesia fourfold
from immature stands (less than 90 years) to old stands (greater than
150 years) [2].


SEASONAL DEVELOPMENT : 
Phenology:  Menziesia flowers from late May through July; capsules
mature in July and August [53].  Leaves expand rapidly in early June at
the time flowers open and begin to senesce in mid-August and September
at high elevations in southern British Columbia [10].  Menziesia has
been found to live at least 30 years in northern forests [1].
 

Related categories for Species: Menziesia ferruginea | Menziesia