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

Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja
northern Labrador tea
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)

Introduction to Vascular Plants

Distribution of Rhododendron tomentosum
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SUBTAXA PRESENT IN BC

Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. decumbens

Introduction

In 2015, the BC Conservation Data Centre changed the name of this taxon in BC from Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. subarcticum to Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. decumbens. It was previously changed from Ledum palustre ssp decumbens to Rhododendron tomentosum ssp. subarcticum.

Species Information

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Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

General:
Decumbent to erect shrubs; stems mostly 10-50 cm long/tall, rusty soft-hairy.

Leaves:
Alternate, evergreen, leathery, linear to narrowly oblong, 0.3-2.5 cm long, 1-3 (7) mm wide, tapering somewhat towards tip, margins strongly rolled under, rusty soft-hairy beneath; stalks 0.5-2 mm long.

Flowers:
In terminal umbrella-like clusters; flower stalks 0.8-2 cm long, with contorted reddish hairs, glandular, usually abruptly bent near the apex in fruit; corollas much as in L. groenlandicum; stamens usually 10, filaments hairy below the middle; calyces less than 1 mm long, fringed with long, reddish hairs, glandular.

Fruits:
Capsules, egg-shaped, 3-5 mm long, glandular.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

Habitat / Range

Bogs and moist to wet peaty meadows, heath and tundra in the montane to alpine zones; locally frequent in extreme northern BC; circumpolar, N to AK, YT and NT, and E to Labr.; Eurasia.

Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia

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: 2024-05-10 10:51:29 PM ]

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.