''Rhododendron columbianum'', commonly known as western Labrador tea, swamp tea, or muskeg tea, is a shrub that is widespread in the western United States and in western
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 ...
, reported from
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
,
Alberta
Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...
,
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 on ...
,
Oregon
Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...
,
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 ...
,
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
,
Montana
Montana () is a state in the Mountain West division of the Western United States. It is bordered by Idaho to the west, North Dakota and South Dakota to the east, Wyoming to the south, and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbi ...
,
Wyoming
Wyoming () is a U.S. state, state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the south ...
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Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...
,
Nevada
Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...
, and
Colorado
Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...
. It grows in wet places from sea level up to . It was formerly known as ''Ledum columbianum''. Its origins date back to the late
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58
Description
''Rhododendron columbianum'' is a shrub up to tall, spreading by means of underground
rhizomes
In botany and dendrology, a rhizome (; , ) is a modified subterranean plant stem that sends out roots and shoots from its nodes. Rhizomes are also called creeping rootstalks or just rootstalks. Rhizomes develop from axillary buds and grow hori ...
. The
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 are ovate to
lanceolate
The following is a list of terms which are used to describe leaf morphology in the description and taxonomy of plants. Leaves may be simple (a single leaf blade or lamina) or compound (with several leaflets). The edge of the leaf may be regular o ...
, fragrant when crushed. Flowers are white to cream, borne in groups of 10 to 35. The leaves grow very close to the stalk and their bottoms bear tiny white hairs.
Taxonomy
History
''Rhododendron columbianum'' was originally named ''Ledum columbianum,'' so it appears as its former name in many texts''.'' In 2009 Kathleen A. Kron and
Walter S. Judd
Walter S. Judd (born 1951) is an American botanist and taxonomist, and distinguished professor in the Department of Botany, University of Florida since 2009.
Career
Judd attended Michigan State University (B.S. 1973, M.S. 1974) and Harvard Univ ...
deemed the morphology of genus ''Ledum'' alike enough to the ''Rhododendron'' genus to combine it into the larger ''Rhododendron'' genus. This taxonomic change resulted in the original name of ''Ledum columbianum'' being changed to ''Rhododendron columbianum.'' ''Ledum columbianum'' was removed from the National Wetland Plant List in 2012, but re-added as ''Rhodedendron columbianum'' for the official 2013 list publication, where it still remains. Currently, both ''Rhododendron columbianum and Rhododendron groenlandicum'' share the common name of Labrador tea.
Phylogeny
According to The
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
's Paleobotanical Library, a megafossil of ''R.'' ''columbianum'' was found in Washington and dated to the late
Pliocene
The Pliocene ( ; also Pleiocene) is the epoch in the geologic time scale that extends from 5.333 million to 2.58 The genetic crossing of ''R.'' ''groenlandicum'' and ''R.'' ''neoglandulosum'' results in ''R. columbianum''. Results from molecular and nuclear phylogenetic analyses indicate that ''R. columbianum'' and ''R. tolmachevii'' make up a clade most closesly related to ''R. groenlandicum, R. hypoleucum, and R. tomentosum''.
Uses
''Rhododendron columbianum'' has been used medicinally as a tea astringent, diaphoretic, diuretic and laxative properties. The plant can, however, be toxic if the tea is allowed to steep too long. The fragrance of the leaves has also been shown useful in repelling insects and rodents.Plants for a Future, The Goddess Project
Gallery
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Rhododendron columbianum - Flickr - pellaea.jpg
Rhododendron columbianum - Regional Parks Botanic Garden, Berkeley, CA - DSC04440.JPG
Rhododendron columbianum.jpg