What is "pieris floribunda"

fetterbush \fet"ter*bush`\ n.

1. An ornamental evergreen shrub ( Pieris floribunda) of the Southeastern U. S. having small white bell-shaped flowers.

   Syn: mountain fetterbush, mountain andromeda, Pieris floribunda.

2. A showy evergreen shrub ( Lyonia lucida) of the Southeastern U. S. with shiny leaves and angled branches and umbel-like clusters of pink to reddish flowers.

   Syn: fetter bush, shiny lyonia, Lyonia lucida.

Pieris floribunda is a North American species of broadleaf evergreen shrub, a member of the F etterbush genus in the B lueberry Family (Ericaceae). It is commonly known in North America as mountain fetterbush or mountain andromeda. All parts of Pieris floribunda are poisonous if ingested. It is a rare plant to find in landscapes because it is difficult to propagate and it often does not adapt well to cultivation. However, there are a few specialty and native plant nurseries that sell some, overcoming the more difficult propagation. It is a handsome plant and should be used more in horticulture, as recommended by Dr. Michael A. Dirr in his "Manual of Woody Landscape Plants." In landscapes it should be grown in full to part shade, out of windy locations, and have a good quality soil with lots of organic matter that is acid of pH 4.5 to 6.5

The very similar Japanese andromeda, Pieris japonica, is very common in eastern landscapes of the US and occasionally in midwestern ones. It is easy to propagate, easily adapts to cultivation, and differs most in having very pendulous flower clusters rather than erect ones as the American species. The mountain fetterbush is less subject to damage from the Azalea lacebug that often infests the Japanese species. There is a cultivar of a hybrid between the American and Japanese species called 'Brouwer's Beauty' that does adapt easily to cultivation and bears intermediate flower clusters that are erect and yet drooping also.