Labrador Tea

Labrador tea, common name for three species of low-growing evergreen perennial shrubs in the Rhododendron genus of the heath family (Ericaceae). The plants were formerly placed in the now eliminated genus Ledum, which differed from Rhododendron only in having separate, not fused, petals and capsules that open from the bottom first.

Bog Labrador tea (R. groenlandicum) is found in cold boggy areas and grows to about 1 metre (3 feet) high. The fragrant leaves have long been used by native peoples for tea and are also used in traditional herbal medicines. The twigs are reddish. The leaves are smooth-edged and elliptical and have a rusty “wool” on the underside. The leaf margins are recurved. The white or creamy flowers, 2 cm (0.8 inch) wide, are borne in a terminal cluster. There are five sepals and five petals.

Marsh Labrador tea (R. tomentosum) is circumpolar and also native to eastern North America. The name is also sometimes applied to a closely related shrub of the Rocky Mountain region, known as western Labrador tea (R. columbianum). Both plants are used to make tea and in traditional medicine but can be toxic.