The Kalmia, on account of its superficial resemblance to the green
bay-tree, often called the American laurel, is more nearly allied to the
heath. The name of Kalmia, which is more musical than many others of
similar derivation, was given to this genus of evergreen shrubs by
Linnæus, in honor of Peter Kalm, a distinguished botanist and one of his
pupils. This is exclusively an American family of plants, containing
only five species, three of which are natives of New England soil and
two of them among our most common shrubs.