Sheep laurel (Kalmia angustifolia) is a small shrub with leathery, evergreen, narrowly-oval, whorled, light-green leaves. The leaves often turn reddish-green in the winter. A low growing shrub, sheep laurel rarely grows more than 2 or 3 feet high. Sometimes called Lambskill or Sheepskill, this shrub is poisonous to livestock, due to a glycoside it contains. All parts of the plant are also highly toxic to humans.

Small, saucer-like, magenta flowers are arranged in clusters and bloom in early June. The flowers are essentially miniatures of those of the larger mountain laurel (Kalmia latifolia). Laurel flowers have 10 pollen-bearing stamens, each tucked into a pouch. When triggered by the presence of a pollinator, the stamens snap toward the center. If pollinated, the flowers give way to five-part seed capsules, which often persist on the plant through the winter. 

These native shrubs are common in a variety of dry habitats, including open forests, old pastures and rocky hilltops. Sheep laurel’s evergreen leaves and mycorrhizal associations with soil fungi help it survive in areas of poorer soil. In addition, like the pitch pines common to Cape Cod forests, sheep laurel are adapted to a fire-dominant environment, recovering quickly from burned over areas. In areas with a history of forest fires, these shrubs can form a continuous layer. Their recovery is also helped by the fact that they can spread from underground runners to form colonies.