Leucothoe axillaris (Lamarck) D. Don. Common name: Coastal Doghobble. Phenology: Late Mar-May; Sep-Oct. Habitat: Pocosins, blackwater swamp forests, and moist and acid slopes. Distribution: A Southeastern Coastal Plain endemic: se. VA south to c. peninsular FL and west to extreme e. LA (several parish records reported for west of the Mississippi River are non-native, from cultivation).
Origin/Endemic status: Endemic
Synonymy ⓘ: = C, Fl5, FNA8, G, GW2, K4, S, Va, WH3, Bush et al (2010), Luteyn et al (1996); = Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D.Don var. axillaris — RAB; = n/a — Tat; > Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D.Don — S13; > Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D.Don var. ambigens Fernald — F; > Leucothoe axillaris (Lam.) D.Don var. axillaris — F; > Leucothoe platyphylla Small — S13; Andromeda axillaris Lamarck — (basionym)
Links to other floras: = Leucothoe axillaris - FNA8
Wetland Indicator Status:
- Atlantic and Gulf Coastal Plain: FACW
- Eastern Mountains and Piedmont: FACW
- Northcentral & Northeast: FACW
Heliophily ⓘ: 2
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Horticultural Information
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Height: 2-4 ft.
plant sale text: Don't you just love common names of plants? Descriptive and informative. No doubt this plant was seen as a nuisance to some during hunting season, it is also called "fetterbush". It is low and spreading, arching ziggedy-zaggedy thickets of stems with showy, fragrant white flowers drooping down in early Spring. Evergreen in leaf, often showing some reds as the cooler weather settles. Shade tolerant, though happiest when it gets some sun.
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native range: southeastern United States