LABRADOR TEA
(Ledum Groenlandicum; L. latifolium of Gray) Heath family
Flowers - White, 5-parted, 1/2 in. across or less, numerous,
borne in terminal, umbellate clusters rising from scaly, sticky
bud-bracts. Stem: A compact shrub 1 to 4 ft. high, resinous, the
twigs woolly-hairy. Leaves: Alternate,
thick, evergreen, oblong,
obtuse, small, dull above, rusty-woolly beneath, the margins
curled.
Preferred Habitat - Swamps, bogs, wet mountain woods. Flowering
Season - May-June.
Distribution - Greenland to Pennsylvania, west to Wisconsin.
Whoever has used the homeopathic lotion distilled from the leaves
of Ledum palustre, a similar species found at the far North,
knows the tea-like fragrance given forth by the leaves of this
common shrub when crushed in a warm hand. But because the
homeopathists claim that like is cured by like, are we to assume
that these little bushes, both of which afford a soothing lotion,
also irritate and poison? It may be; for they are next of kin to
the azaleas, laurels, and rhododendrons, known to be injurious
since Xenophon's day. At the end of May, when the Labrador tea is
white with abundant flower clusters, one cannot but wonder why so
desirable an acquisition is never seen in men's gardens here
among its relatives. Over a hundred years ago the dense, compact
little shrub was taken to England to adorn sunny bog gardens on
fine estates. Doubtless the leaves have woolly mats underneath
for the reason given in reference to the Steeple-bush.
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