Description
Genus Ledum
Shrubs
evergreen
, small, multibranched, with fragrant resin. Leaves shortly petiolate
; leaf blade
linear
, linear-lanceolate, or narrowly oblong
, leathery, abaxially with white and/or rusty brown-pilose or woolly
indumentum, margin
entire, recurved. Inflorescences terminal
, racemose, many-flowered; bracts present at peduncle base
, dry, membranous, soon deciduous; bractlets
absent. Calyx small, 5-lobed, persistent
. Corolla white, divided
to base; lobes
imbricate in bud. Stamens (5-) 8-10, protruding beyond corolla; filaments
linear; anthers
small, abaxially connected, globose
, without appendages
. Flower disk 8-10-lobed. Ovary globose, 5-locular, lepidote
. Style linear; stigma obtuse
, 5-lobed. Capsule ellipsoid
or cylindric
, opening from base. Seeds tiny.
Three or four species: circumboreal
in temperate
and cold-temperate regions; one species in China.
DNA sequencing has shown that this genus should be included
within Rhododendron subg. Rhododendron, as R. subsect. Ledum (Linnaeus) Kron & Judd (Syst. Bot. 15: 67. 1990). It has affinities with R. subsect. Micrantha.[1]
Taxonomy
- Kingdom:
Plantae
(
)
- Plants
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
()
- Vascular Plants
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
()
- Dicotyledons
- Order:
Ericales
()
- Family:
Entomobryoidea
()
- Subfamily:
Rhododendroideae
()
- Genus:
Ledum
()
- Linnaeus, Sp. Pl. 1: 391. 1753.
- Labrador Tea
- Specific epithet:
palustre
- (Ait.) Hultén
- Subspecies:
decumbens
- Variety:
decumbens
- Botanical name: - Ledum palustre decumbens (Ait.) Hultén
- Variety:
decumbens
- Subspecies:
decumbens
- Specific epithet:
palustre
- (Ait.) Hultén
- Genus:
Ledum
(
- Subfamily:
Rhododendroideae
(
- Family:
Entomobryoidea
(
- Order:
Ericales
(
- Class:
Magnoliopsida
(
- Phylum:
Tracheophyta
(
Unambiguous Synonyms
- Ledum decumbens (Aiton) Lodd. Ex Steud.
- Ledum palustre L. decumbens /i> (Aiton) Hultén
Notes
A tentatively accepted name
in the RHS Horticultural Database.
Place of publication
: Fl.
Kamtchatka 4:8. 1930
Name
verified on 24-Jan-2005 by ARS Systematic Botanists. Last updated: 11-Feb-2007
Similar Species
Members of the genus Ledum
ZipcodeZoo has pages for 51 species, subspecies, varieties, forms, and cultivars in this genus:
L. angustifolium · L. buxifolium · L. californicum · L. canadense · L. columbiana · L. columbianum (Coast Labradortea) · L. decumbens · L. glandulosa · L. glandulosum (Glandular-Leaved Labrador) · L. glandulosum columbianum · L. glandulosum columbianum var. columbianum · L. glandulosum olivaceum · L. glandulosum var. australe · L. glanulosum · L. groenlandicum (Northern Labrador Tea) · L. groenlandicum 'Compactum' (Northern Labrador Tea) · L. groenlandicum f. denudatum · L. groenlandicum glandulosum · L. groenlandicum var. aridiphilum · L. hypoleucum · L. latifolium · L. latifolium var. angustifolium · L. macrophyllum · L. maximum · L. minus · L. nipponicum · L. pacificum · L. palustre (Marsh Labrador Tea) · L. palustre angustissimum · L. palustre L. 'Compactum' (Marsh Labrador Tea) · L. palustre decumbens · L. palustre diversipilosum 'Teshio' · L. palustre diversipilosum var. diversipilosum · L. palustre f. decumbens · L. palustre f. denudatum · L. palustre f. dilatatum · L. palustre groenlandicum · L. palustre L. ssp. groenlandicum 'Compactum' · L. palustre latifolium · L. palustre 'Minus' · L. palustre palustre · L. palustre L. 'Roseum' (Marsh Labrador Tea) · L. palustre subsp. decumbens (Marsh Labrador Tea) · L. palustre var. groenlandicum · L. palustriforme · L. serpyllifolium · L. subulatum · L. tenuifolium · L. 'Teshio' · L. thymifolium · L. tomentosum
More Info
- Search for Pictures: images.google.com
- Search for Scholarly Articles: Google Scholar
- Search using Scientific Name and Vernacular Names: All the Web | AltaVista Canada | AltaVista | Excite | Google | HotBot | Lycos
- Search using Specialized Databases: GenBank | Medline | Scirus | CISTI/CAL | Agricola Periodicals | Agricola Books
Further Reading
- An illustrated flora of the northern United States, Canada and the British possessions: from Newfoundland to the parallel of the southern boundary of Virginia, and from the Atlantic Ocean westward to the 102d meridian / by Nathaniel Lord Britton and Hon. New York: C. Scribner's sons, 1913. ENG url p. 677.
- Cody, W. J. 1996. Flora of the Yukon Territory. (F Yukon) [= L. decumbens (Aiton) G. Lodd. ex Steud.].
- Hultén, O. E. G. 1940–1949. Flora of Alaska and Yukon. (F AlaskaYuk) [accepts].
- Iwatsuki, K. et al. 1993–. Flora of Japan. (F Japan) [= L. palustre var. decumbens Aiton].
- McGuffin, M. et al., eds. 2000. Herbs of commerce, ed. 2. (Herbs Commerce ed2) [accepts].
- Moss, E. H. & J. G. Packer. 1983. Flora of Alberta, ed. 2. (F Alberta) [accepts].
- Ohwi, J. 1965. Flora of Japan (Engl. ed.). (F JapanOhwi) [= L. palustre var. decumbens Aiton].
- Tutin, T. G. et al., eds. 1964–1980. Flora europaea. (F Eur) [mentions & accepts].
- Wallace, G. D. 1992. Ledum in the new Jepson Manual and a new combination for Ledum in Rhododendron (Ericaceae). Madroño 39:77. [= Rhododendron tomentosum subsp. subarcticum (Harmaja) G. D. Wallace].
- Welsh, S. L. 1974. Anderson's flora of Alaska and adjacent parts of Canada. (F AlaskaAnd) [= L. decumbens (Aiton) G. Lodd. ex Steud.].
- Yong No Lee. 1997. Flora of Korea. (F Korea) [accepts].
Notes
Contributors
- Bisby FA, Roskov YR, Orrell TM, Nicolson D, Paglinawan LE, Bailly N, Kirk PM, Bourgoin T, van Hertum J, eds (2008). Species 2000 & ITIS Catalogue of Life: 2008 Annual Checklist Taxonomic Classification. CD-ROM; Species 2000: Reading, U.K.
- Brands, S.J. (comp.) 1989-2007. Systema Naturae 2000. The Taxonomicon. Universal Taxonomic Services, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Accessed September 17, 2007.
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility. Accessed March 18, 2008. http://www.gbif.org Mediated distribution data from 2 providers.
- USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN) [Online Database]. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. URL (April 29, 2008)
Identifiers
- Biodiversity Heritage Library NamebankID: 3877219
- Catalogue of Life Accepted Name Code: ITS-524215
- Global Biodiversity Information Facility Taxonkey: 13902354
- Globally Unique Identifier: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1137894-2
- GRIN Nomen Number: 417769
- Natural Heritage Network Species Identifier: PDERI0M031
- U.S.D.A. Plant Symbol: LEPAD2
- Zipcode Zoo Species Identifier: 46202
Footnotes
- Fang Rhui-cheng, David F. Chamberlain "Ledum". in Flora of China Vol. 14 Page 259. Published by Science Press (Beijing) and Missouri Botanical Garden Press. Online at EFloras.org. [back]
