Labrador tea

Labrador tea (Thermopsis rhombifolia)

Also known as: Ledum groenlandicum



Bloom time: June - July

Additional photos:

• Bourgeons Ledum groenlandicum
  credit: Linda Kershaw
• Ledum groenlandicum début de la floraison
  credit: Rowena Hopkins
• Ledum groenlandicum juste avant la mi-floraison
  credit: Linda Kershaw
• Ledum groenlandicum après la mi-floraison
  credit: Harriet Irving Botanic Garden

General: This erect evergreen shrub, up to 1 m tall, often forms colonies.

Leaves & Twigs:

• The leathery, narrow, oblong leaves are about 2-5 cm long, with rusty matted hairs on the underside (new leaves have white hairs underneath). The edges of the leaves roll under to help retain moisture.
• New twigs are densely covered with brown hairs; old stems become reddish-brown to grey.

Flowers & Fruits: Five-petalled, white flowers, about 1 cm across, occur in rounded clusters at the branch tips.

Habitat: Shade-intolerant and often found on moist to wet soils, Labrador tea is common on open peatland dominated by sphagnum moss and in open-canopy coniferous forests.

PlantWatch Pointers: Select a typical patch of plants, if the plants are very abundant, mark off a l-metre-square section to observe.

To Observe:

• First bloom: when the first flowers are open in the observed plants (3 places).
• Mid bloom: when 50% of the flowers are open in the observed plants.

Distribution Map:



This species is monitored in:

• Alberta
• British Columbia
• Manitoba
• New Brunswick
• Newfoundland and Labrador
• Northwest Territories
• Nova Scotia
• Nunavut
• Ontario
• Prince Edward Island
• Quebec
• Saskatchewan
• Yukon

Historically, the leaves of Labrador tea were hung in closets to repel moths, as well as ghosts.