Rhododendron groenlandicum

Rhododendron groenlandicum
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Rhododendron
Subgenus: Rhododendron subg. Rhododendron
Section: Rhododendron sect. Rhododendron
Subsection: R. subsect. Ledum
Species:
R. groenlandicum
Binomial name
Rhododendron groenlandicum
Distribution of Rhododendrom groenlandicum
Synonyms
  • Ledum canadense G.Lodd.
  • Ledum groenlandicum Oeder
  • Ledum groenlandicum var. aridiphilum D.Löve
  • Ledum latifolium Jacq.
  • Ledum latifolium var. canadense (G.Lodd.) DC.
  • Ledum latifolium var. palustre Alph.Wood
  • Ledum pacificum Small
  • Ledum palustre subsp. groenlandicum (Oeder) Hultén
  • Ledum palustre var. groenlandicum (Oeder) Rosenv.
  • Ledum palustre var. latifolium (Jacq.) Hook.

Rhododendron groenlandicum (formerly Ledum groenlandicum or Ledum latifolium), known by the common names bog Labrador tea, muskeg tea, swamp tea, in northern Canada, Hudson's Bay tea, and in Greenlandic, Qajaasaq (IPA: [qajaːsɑq], resembling a Kayak), is a species of flowering shrub in the family Ericaceae. Found in northern parts of North America and Greenland, R. groenlandicum grows primarily in bogs and other wetlands, which tend to be also in cold, acidic, and nutrient-poor environments. It has traditionally been used to make medicinal herbal teas among the Dene, Athabaskan, and Inuit, and other indigenous cultures of North America peoples.