dammeri – refers to Carl Lebrecht Dammer (1860-1920), German botanist at the Botanical Museum in Berlin

Native range: China

Leaves:

• alternate
• simple
• entire elliptic to elliptic-oblong
• upper – dark green
• under – whitish
• ~mucronate tips
• 4-6 vein pairs
• short petioles

Flowers:

• solitary inflorescence (corymb) or 3 flowers
• 5 sepals
• 5 petals rounded, white
• ~20 stamens, purple

Fruit:

• fleshy red/orange pome
• persistent calyx

Other characteristics:

• trailing evergreen ground-cover
• gray branchlets pubescent when young
• purplish leaves in late fall & winter
• stiff acute angle branching pattern

Relevant info:

• roots where branches contact the ground (i.e., layering)
• C. pannosus is invasive on the island of Hawai’i
• common name is in reference to the fact that bears will feed on the berries in winter in parts of the U.S. (where it is introduced)

Ecology & Adaptations:

• native to mountain regions, cliff sides, open mixed forests and rocky ground from central China to Tibet
• vegetative reproduction – branches root when they contact soil, which helps the plant hang on to its native mountain-sides
• pollinated by bees
• seed dispersal – fruit is eaten, and seeds are dispersed, by birds
• drought tolerant:
  • small leaves minimize evaporative surface
  • thick cuticle on leaves helps prevent water loss
• tolerant of low nutrient conditions – evergreen leaves conserve resources (versus leaves that are shed at the end of the growing season)
• shade tolerant:
  • leaves in shade are thinner than those in full sun, which represents a minimization of investment in photosynthesizing structure for maximum light capturing area
  • stem internodes are longer in shaded conditions than in full sun, which spreads leaves out and increases light capture