EPOW - Ecology Picture of the Week

Bog Tea

Bog Labrador Tea (Rhododendron [prev. Ledum] groenlandicum), Family Ericaceae
Alaska, USA

Explanation:  While en route up the Dalton Highway in arctic Alaska, I happened upon this common and widespread shrub species of the north.  Known by several common names, one of which is Bog Labrador Tea, it has also undergone a change in its scientific name.  Specifically, it was in the genus Ledum, but then moved to Rhododendron.  (And we had recently explored the ecology of a closely related species, with its own name jumble.)  

This shrub is wonderfully iconic of the higher temperate zones, and especially boreal zones and arctic regions of the globe.  It is pollinated by bumble bees, and serves as a secondary fodder food for moose and deer during winter.  

  
Some sources note that the leaves, fragrant as they are, can be used for a tea beverage by boiling the dried leaves, although warnings are posted that all parts are poisonous with alkaloids and may be fatal if eaten!  The leaves and twigs of the shrubs have been used in Native American traditional medicine to treat inflammations such as caused by asthma, rheumatism, and burns.