Ledum groenlandicum
| Ledum groenlandicum | |
| Light: |    |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 5.6-6.5 |
| Evergreen | |
| Height: | 5' |
| Width: | 5' |
| Blooms: | Mid Spring-Early Summer |
| Open Woods Forest | |
| Native to: | |
| Shelter | |
| Edible Rating: |  |
| Medicinal Rating: |  |
| Tea: | Yes |
 | |
Ledum groenlandicum (common name: labrador tea)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow in a shady part of the greenhouse in February or March[1][2]. Another report says that the seed is best sown in the autumn as soon as it is ripe[3]. Germination is variable and can be quite slow. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots as soon as they are large enough to handle and grow the pots on in a shady frame for 18 months before planting them out into their permanent positions[1].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel, July/August in a frame. Plant out in spring. Fair percentage[1].
Cuttings of mature wood, November/December in a frame[2].
Layering in the autumn. Takes 12 months[1].
Division.
Cultivation: Requires a lime-free loam or peaty soil[4][5]. Prefers a moist humus-rich acid soil in shade or semi-shade[6]. Plants flower more freely when grown in a sunny position. Plants grow better if they have certain fungal associations in the soil. The best way of providing this is to incorporate some soil from around well-growing established plants into the soil for the new plant[6].
Hardy to at least -15°c[6].
The leaves and the flowers are very aromatic[7][8].
Plants benefit from removing the dead flowers before they set seed[3]. This prevents them putting too much energy into seed production at the expense of more flowers and leaves.
This species is considered by some botanists to be no more than a sub-species of L. palustre[5][9].
A good bee plant[10].
Range: Eastern and Northern N. America to Greenland. A rare garden escape in Britain.
Habitat: Cold bogs and montane coniferous woods[10][9].
Edibility: A fragrant and soothing tea is made from the leaves[11][10][12][13][14]. The spicy leaves make a very palatable and refreshing tea[15]. The North American Indians would often flavour this tea with the roots of liquorice fern, Polypodium glycyrrhiza[16]. When lemon is added they can be used as iced tea[15]. The leaves were once added to beer in order to make it heady[15]. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. It would be better to brew the tea in cold water by leaving it in a sunny place, or to make sure that it is brewed for a short time only in an open container.
The leaves are used as a flavouring, they are a bayleaf substitute[14].
Medicinal: Labrador tea was employed medicinally by several native North American Indian tribes who used it to treat a variety of complaints[17]. In modern herbalism it is occasionally used externally to treat a range of skin problems.
The leaves are analgesic, blood purifier, diaphoretic, diuretic, pectoral and tonic[10][14][18][17]. A tea is taken internally in the treatment of headaches, asthma, colds, stomach aches, kidney ailments etc[18][17]. Externally, it is used as a wash for burns, ulcers, itches, chapped skin, stings, dandruff etc[18][19][17]. An ointment made from the powdered leaves or roots has been used to treat ulcers, cracked nipples, burns and scalds[17].
The plant is apparently a mild narcotic, it was taken by Indian women three times daily shortly before giving birth[20]
Usage: The leaves are hung up in the clothes cupboard in order to repel insects[10]. The branches are also placed among grain in order to keep mice away[10]. A strong decoction of the leaves, or a tincture, is used to kill lice, mosquitoes, fleas and other insects[10][20][19].
The leaves contain tannin[10].
A brown dye is obtained from the plant[17].
Pollinators: Bees
Soil: Can grow in light, medium, and heavy soils.
In Leaf: Evergreen
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Plants contain a narcotic toxin called Ledel. This toxin only causes problems if the leaves are cooked for a long period in a closed container[14].
Also Known As: L. latifolium. L. pacificum. L. palustre groenlandicum. (Oeder.)Hulten.
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Sheat, Wilfrid. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. St Martin, 1948.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Dirr, Michael and Charles Heuser. The Reference Manual of Woody Plant Propagation. Athens Ga. Varsity Press, 1987.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Brickell, Christopher. The RHS Gardener's Encyclopedia of Plants and Flowers. Dorling Kindersley Publishers, 1990.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bean, William. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Murray, 1981.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Ornamental Shrubs, Climbers and Bamboos. Murray, 1992.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tutin, Tom et al.. Flora Europaea. Cambridge University Press, 1964.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 10.6 10.7 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Hedrick, Ulysses. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications, 1972.
- ↑ Saunders, Charles. Edible and Useful Wild Plants of the United States and Canada. Dover Publications, 1976.
- ↑ Kavasch, Barrie. Native Harvests. Vintage Books, 1979.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Schofield, Janice. Discovering Wild Plants.
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 Facciola, Stephen. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, 1990.
- ↑ Turner, Nancy. Food Plants of Coastal First Peoples. UBC Press Vancouver, 1995.
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Moerman, Daniel. Native American Ethnobotany. Timber Press, 1998.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 Coffey, Timothy. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File, 1993.