Bog Labrador Tea

Rhododendron groenlandicum

Bog Labrador Tea is a special plant that grows in wet places like bogs. Its leaves can be used to make a tea that some people enjoy. The flowers are pretty and attract bees and butterflies!

Habitat: Wetlands

Appearance

The Bog Labrador Tea is a small evergreen shrub with leathery, oblong leaves that are dark green on top. Its most distinctive feature is the rusty-brown, woolly hairs covering the underside of its leaves. It blooms with clusters of small, five-petaled white flowers.

KingdomPlantaePhylumTracheophytaClassMagnoliopsidaOrderEricalesFamilyEricaceaeGenusRhododendron

Bog Labrador Tea

Interesting facts

Ancient people sometimes used its fluffy underside as tinder for starting fires!

Its leathery leaves can stay green all winter long, even under thick snow!

Rubbing its leaves can release a strong, slightly spicy scent that's easy to identify!

This plant loves growing in soggy, acidic bogs where few other plants can thrive!

Special abilities

Bog Labrador Tea can grow in very wet, acidic, and nutrient-poor bogs where most plants struggle to survive.

Bog Labrador Tea has thick, evergreen leaves that stay green all winter, helping it absorb sunlight early.

Bog Labrador Tea has rusty, woolly hairs on its leaf undersides to help reduce water loss in dry or windy conditions.

Measurements & details

Height: 50-150 cm
Spread: 30-100 cm
Flower Size: 1-2 cm
Bloom Season: Late spring to mid-summer
Edible: No
Toxicity: Moderate
Lifecycle: Perennial
Pollination Method: Insect

Ecological connections

pollinates

Common Eastern Bumblebee

Bombus impatiens

Visits flowers for nectar and pollen.

eaten by

White-tailed Deer

Odocoileus virginianus

Deer may occasionally browse its tough leaves.

depends on

Red Sphagnum

Sphagnum capillifolium

Its presence helps create acidic bog habitat.

Traits

Flowering

Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.

Shrub

A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree, typically with multiple stems branching from or near the ground.

Evergreen

Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.

Fragrant Flower

Fragrant flowers emit a pleasant aroma, often to attract pollinators or for defense.

Medicinal

Medicinal plants possess chemical compounds that can be used for therapeutic purposes to treat illnesses or maintain health.

Edible

Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.

Pollinator Magnet

Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

Wetland

This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.