Elliottia pyroliflora (Bong.) S.W. Brim & P.F. Stevens

vernacular copperbush — species · Ericaceae

USDA: ELPY
GBIF: 4170115
Rank: species

copperbush (Elliottia pyroliflora) — Platephotograph · lampbaby source · iNaturalist ↗

§2Habit & range

Growth habit: Shrub
Duration: Perennial
Group: Dicot
Family: Ericaceae Juss.
Genus: Elliottia

§2a

Native status, by region

AK Alaska Native
CAN Canada Native
L48 Lower 48 States Native

§2b

County-level range

· 9 counties across 1 state

Legend Native · 9 Introduced · 0 Both · 0 Hover a county for detail.

§3Cultivation specs · USDA

Recorded by the USDA Plant Materials Program.

§3a

Tolerances

Drought: Low
Anaerobic: Low

§3b

Climate & soil

Cold tolerance: -22 °F minimum
Frost-free days: 136 min.
Precipitation: 40–200 in/yr
pH range: 5–6
Root depth: 12 in min.
Soil texture: coarse, medium

§3c

Form & growth

Growth form: Thicket Forming
Lifespan: Short
Mature height: 5 ft
Height @ 20 y: 4 ft
Foliage texture: Medium
Foliage colour: Green
Flower colour: Red
Fruit colour: Red
Fire resistant: No
N fixation: None

§3d

Reproduction

Stratify: No

§3e

Use & availability

Nursery stock: No
Palatable, human: No
Lumber: No
Christmas tree: No

§4Counties, by state

Recorded in 9 counties across 1 state.

Alaska view state ↗ 9 N ▾

§5Sources & provenance

USDA PLANTS

Symbol, taxonomy, distribution, cultivation specs, native status. Public domain.

plants.usda.gov/ELPY ↗

GBIF Backbone

Canonical taxonomic identity, synonym resolution, cross-refs. CC0.

gbif.org/species/4170115 ↗

Record version

Cached and built locally. Source version on this record:

usda-plants-mt-2026-05-26

fetched 2026-05-26T05:45:41Z