Rhododendron groenlandicum (formerly Ledum groenlandicum or Ledum latifolium[2]), known by the common names bog Labrador tea, muskeg tea, swamp tea, or in northern Canada, Hudson's Bay tea,[3] is a species of floweringshrub in the family Ericaceae with white flowers and evergreen leaves. It is native to northern parts of North America and Greenland and has traditionally been used to make an herbal tea.
It is a low shrub growing to 50 centimetres (20 inches) tall—rarely up to 2 metres (6+1⁄2 feet)—with evergreenleaves2–6cm (3⁄4–2+3⁄8in) long and 3–15 millimetres (1⁄8–5⁄8in) 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 flowers grow in hemispherical clusters and are very fragrant and sticky.[4]
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.[7] When European explorers arrived, they soon adopted these uses as well, dubbing it "Indian plant tea".[7] During the American Revolutionary War, it was used as a substitute for tea.[7]
Rhododendron groenlandicum is sometimes grown as an ornamental shrub.[7] Its essential oil is also popular in aromatherapy.[7]
↑ Kron, Kathleen Anne; Judd (1990). "Phylogenetic Relationships within the Rhodoreae (Ericaceae) with Specific Comments on the Placement of Ledum". Systematic Botany. 15 (1): 67. doi:10.2307/2419016. JSTOR2419016.
↑ Niering, William A.; Olmstead, Nancy C. (1985) [1979]. The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, Eastern Region. Knopf. p.502. ISBN0-394-50432-1.
↑ Peterson, R. T. and McKenny, M. A Field Guide to Wildflowers Northeastern and North-central North America.
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Illustration by William Miller
Specimen in Newfoundland and Labrador
Dry leaves
Underside of leaves
Leaves and buds
Close-up of flowers
