This native evergreen shrub, also known as Lambkill and Sheepsbane, is a member of Heath family. It is known to be poisonous to livestock.

Deep pink flowers grow in a cluster in the middle of the stem, are 5-petalled and saucer-shaped. They bloom in June-July, Its pollen-bearing anthers spring out when the flower is visited by insects or hummingbirds.

Its leaves that grow below the flowers droop. They are flat, oval, and leathery, growing pposite or in whorls of 3. They have a green upper surface and lighter underside. Its stems or branchlets are slender, brownish and round. This shrub grows to heights of  60-100 cm, in moist meadows and woods, and most commonly at the edges of bogs.

Its fruit is a 5-parted capsule that stays on the plant all winter.