[1] This common evergreen alpine shrub bears its red-purple flower clustered at the end of the stem.
[4] The dwarf shrub can survive in subalpine to alpine regions because of their ability to minimize water loss through evaporation.
The heather acts as a mountain canopy and collects stone-free soil either from the wind or that has been washed in.
[6] Pink mountain heather can often be mistaken for Empetrum nigrum (crowberry),[4] although Phyllodoce empetriformis does not produce berries.
Pink and yellow mountain heather can form a hybrid called Phyllodoce intermedia.