''Rhododendron groenlandicum'' (bog Labrador tea, muskeg tea, swamp tea, or in northern Canada, Hudson's Bay tea; formerly ''Ledum groenlandicum'' or ''Ledum latifolium'') is a
flowering
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechanism ...
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
with white flowers and evergreen leaves that is used to make a
herbal tea
Herbal teas, also known as herbal infusions and less commonly called tisanes (UK and US , US also ), are beverages made from the infusion or decoction of herbs, spices, or other plant material in hot water. Oftentimes herb tea, or the plain term ...
.
Description
It is a low
shrub
A shrub (often also called a bush) is a small-to-medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees ...
growing to tall—rarely up to —with
evergreen
In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
long and broad. The leaves are wrinkled on top, densely hairy white to red-brown underneath, and have a leathery texture, curling at the edges. The tiny white
flower
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
s grow in hemispherical clusters and are very fragrant and sticky.
Distribution and habitat
It is reported from
Greenland
Greenland ( kl, Kalaallit Nunaat, ; da, Grønland, ) is an island country in North America that is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It is located between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. Greenland is t ...
, as well as from every province and territory in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
and in the northeastern and northwestern
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
(
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
,
New York,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
,
Wisconsin
Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...
,
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
,
Idaho
Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyom ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
, and
Alaska
Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
).
It grows in bogs, muskegs, and open tundra, as well as occasionally on wet shores and rocky alpine slopes.
Toxicity
The plant contains toxic alkaloids which are poisonous to livestock and may be toxic to humans in concentrated doses.
Uses
The leaves are regularly used to make beverages and medicines—most commonly a fragrant tea—by many Native American tribes such as the Quinault and Makah, the Potawatomi, the Anishinaabe, the Iroquois, and First Nations tribes in Canada.
When European explorers arrived, they soon adopted these uses as well, dubbing it "Indian plant tea".
During the
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
, it was used as a substitute for tea.
It is sometimes grown as an ornamental shrub.
Its essential oil is popular in aromatherapy.
See also
*
Rhododendron (disambiguation)
''Rhododendron'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae.
Rhododendron may also refer to:
* MV ''Rhododendron'', a Washington State ferry
* Rhododendron, Oregon, United States
* Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garde ...
*
List of Rhododendron species
This List of ''Rhododendron'' species includes species of the genus ''Rhododendron'', which is in the plant family Ericaceae. Depending on the source, there are anywhere from 800 to over 1,100 wild species. The vast majority of ''Rhododendron'' sp ...
*
List of rhododendron diseases
This article is a list of diseases of rhododendron (''Rhododendron'' spp.).
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Nematodes, parasitic
Viral diseases
References
{{reflist
Common Names of Diseases, The American Phytopathological Society ...
*
List of Award of Garden Merit rhododendrons
The following is a list of rhododendron cultivars and species which have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. They are mostly hardy evergreen shrubs with abundant, brilliantly-coloured, trumpet-shaped flowers, often in la ...
References
External links
USDA PLANTS database: ''Ledum groenlandicum''Description of ''Rhododendron groenlandicum''at the
American Rhododendron Society
The American Rhododendron Society (ARS) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to encourage interest in, and disseminate information about, the genus ''Rhododendron''. Members' experience ranges from novice to expert. The society provides a ...
Photograph of ''Rhododendron groenlandicum''plus description at the
Washington Native Plant Society''Rhododendron groenlandicum''at the
Connecticut Botanical Society
{{Taxonbar, from=Q247753
groenlandicum
Herbal tea
Flora of Greenland
Flora of Alaska
Flora of Canada
Flora of Alberta
Flora of the Northeastern United States
Flora of Europe
Flora of the Western United States
Flora of the Great Lakes region (North America)
Flora of the United States
Flora without expected TNC conservation status