Ledum groenlandicum

Labrador Tea

Labrador Tea, BWCAW
Photo © by Earl J.S. Rook

Flora, fauna, earth, and sky...
The natural history of the northwoods

Name:

• Ledum, from the Greek ledon (ledon), the ancient Greek name used by Dioscorides for the Cistus (Rockrose).
• groenlandicum, "of Greenland ", a reference to its northern distribution
• Common Name yet another reference to its northern distribution and to its common use as a tea by native Americans
• Other common names include Bog Labrador Tea, James Tea, Marsh Tea, Swamp Tea, Muskeegobug Aniibi (Ojibwe; "swamp growing tea", contains the Ojibwe root for the English "muskeg"), Muskeko-pukwa (Cree), Wish-a-ca-pucca (Chipewyan), Skvattram, getpors, vildpors (Swedish), Finnmarkspors (Nor), Mose-Post (Dan), Suopursu (Fin), Sumpf-Porst (Ger)

Taxonomy:

• Kingdom Plantae, the Plants
  • Division Magnoliophyta, the Angiosperms (flowering plants)
    • Class Magnoliopsida, the Dicotyledons
    • Subclass Dilleniidae
      • Order Ericales
        • Family Ericaceae, the Heaths, with Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla), Bearberry (Arctostaphyllos uva-ursi), Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), Bog Laurel (Kalmia polifolia), and the blueberries, bilberries, and cranberries (Vaccinium spp.).
          • Genus Ledum, the Labrador Teas
• Taxonomic Serial Number: 23546
• Also known as Ledum pacificum, Ledum palustre, Ledum palustre ssp. groenlandicum, Ledum palustre var. latifolium, Rhododendron groenlandicum

Description:

• Form prostrate to erect, generally circular in outline.
• Leaves 1"-3", edges curled down, with brown hairs on underside. [Photo]
• Roots in the organic layer. Rhizome depth can reach 6" - 20"
• Flowers tiny white clusters on slender stalks at the ends of the branches
• Fruit a dry capsule with many tiny seeds.

Identification:

Distribution:

• Alaska to Greenland, south through New England, the northern parts of the Lake States, Idaho, Washington and Oregon.

Habitat:

• Open or closed forest habitats, primarily with Black or White Spruce (Picea mariana, Picea glauca). Can also dominate or codominate in dwarf shrub communities, bogs, muskegs, or open tundra.
• Most common on wetter sites with low subsurface water flow and low nutrients. Reaches its greatest cover in bogs. Often abundant in the shaded portions of the forest.

Fire:

• Sprouts from rhizomes or the root crown following low to moderate severity fires. One of the first plants to recolonize burned bogs; grows rapidly following fire.

Associates:

• Trees: Tamarack (Larix laricina), Black Spruce (Picea mariana), White Spruce (Picea glauca), Jack Pine (Pinus banksiana)
• Shrubs: Speckled Alder (Alnus incana), Juneberries (Amelanchier spp.), Bog Rosemary (Andromeda polifolia var. glaucophylla), Bog Birch (Betula pumila), Leatherleaf (Chamaedaphne calyculata), Bunchberry (Cornus canadensis), Creeping Snowberry (Gaultheria hispidula), Bog Laurel (Kalmia polifolia), Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana), Late Low Blueberry (Vaccinium angustifolium), Velvet Leaf Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtiloides), Small Cranberry (Vaccinium oxycoccus), Mountain Cranberry (Vaccinium vitis-idaea)
• Herbs: Sedges (Carex ssp.), Blue Bead Lily (Clintonia borealis), Moccasin Flower (Cypripedium acaule), Cotton Grass (Eriophorum spp.),Dwarf Rattlesnake Plantain (Goodyera repens), Tall Northern Bog Orchid (Habenaria hyperborea),Blunt Leaf Orchid (Habenaria obtusata), Indian Pipe (Monotropa uniflora), Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea), Purple Pitcher Plant (Sarracenia purpurea), Bog False Solomon's Seal (Smilacina trifolia), Starflower (Trientalis borealis)
• Groundcovers: Reindeer Lichens (Cladonia spp.), Dicranum Moss (Dicranum spp.), Bristly Clubmoss (Lycopodium annotinum), Schreber's Feathermoss (Pleurozium schreberi), Hair Cap Mosses (Polytrichum spp.), Sphagnum Mosses (Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum fuscum, Sphagnum magellanicum)
• Mammals: Leaves and twigs browsed by caribou and moose.

History:

• As a folk medicine the tea was used externally for all kinds of skin problems. Taken internally, the tea was used to stimulate the nerves and stomach. A syrup made from the tea was sometimes used for coughs and hoarseness.

Uses:

• The strongly aromatic leaves of can be used to make a palatable herbal tea, rich in vitamin C.

Reproduction:

• Reproduces primarily vegetatively but can reproduce by seed . It regenerates vegetatively through sprouting from rhizomes. Length and depth of rhizomes are greatly influenced by soil and moisture characteristics
• Flowers late May/early June. Fruits ripen late August through late fall.

Propagation:

• By seed, following cold stratification.

Cultivation:

• Hardy to USDA Zone 3 (average minimum annual temperature -40ºF)
• Cultural Requirements
• Some shade
• Prefers cool, moist, acidic soils

Links:

• Fire Effects Information System (FEIS)

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