E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Flora of British Columbia

Rhododendron columbianum Harmaja
trapper's tea
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Rhododendron columbianum
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Introduction

In 2015, the BC Conservation Data Centre changed the name of this taxon from Rhododendron neoglandulosum to Rhododendron columbianum.

Species Information

General:
Erect shrub; stems 0.5-1 m tall, finely hairy and minutely glandular.

Leaves:
Alternate, evergreen, elliptic to oblong, to 5 cm long, often drooping, margins somewhat rolled under, deep green and wrinkled-looking on upper surfaces, lighter green, whitish fine-hairy and densely glandular below; stalks about 1 cm long.

Fruits:
Capsules, globe- to egg-shaped, 3-5 (6) mm long, finely hairy and glandular.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Moist to wet meadows and forests in the montane to subalpine zones; frequent S of 52degreeN in BC east of the Coast-Cascade Mountains; E to SW AB, S to CA and N WY.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Ecology

Ecological Framework for Rhododendron columbianum

The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)

Site Information	Value / Class
Site Information	Minimum	Average	Maximum
Elevation (metres)	620	1577	2150
Slope Gradient (%)	0	11	85
Aspect (degrees) [0 - N; 90 - E; 180 - S; 270 - W]	1	344	360
Soil Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric]	1	4	8
Modal Nutrient Regime Class	B
Number of field plots species was recorded in:	533
Modal BEC Zone Class	MS
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in:	AT(1), BWBS(3), ESSF(217), ICH(22), IDF(13), MS(246), SBS(9), SWB(4)
Source: Klinkenberg 2020

Status Information

Origin Status	Provincial Status	BC List (Red Blue List)	COSEWIC
Native	S5	Yellow	Not Listed

BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer, the authoritative source for conservation information in British Columbia.

Taxonomic and Nomenclatural Links

Flora North America treatment for Ericaceae
Genetic information (NCBI Taxonomy Database)
International Plant Names Index
Taxonomic Information from the World Flora Online
Integrated Taxonomic Information System

Additional Range and Status Information Links

Burke Museum of Natural History (Washington State records)
CalFlora
Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria records
Jepson Interchange
NatureServe Explorer

Additional Photo Sources

Images From CalPhoto
UT Austin's Native Plant Database
Google Image Search
Flickr Image Search

General References

Google Scholar Search
Family References
General Botanical References for BC

Recommended citation: Author, Date. Page title. In Klinkenberg, Brian. (Editor) 2020. E-Flora BC: Electronic Atlas of the Plants of British Columbia [eflora.bc.ca]. Lab for Advanced Spatial Analysis, Department of Geography, University of British Columbia, Vancouver. [Accessed: 2025-02-17 11:14:54 AM ]

Disclaimer: The information contained in the E-Flora atlas pages is derived from expert sources as cited in each section. This information is scientifically based. E-Flora also acts as a portal to other sites via deep links. As always, users should refer to the original sources for complete information. E-Flora BC is not responsible for the accuracy or completeness of the original information.