kids encyclopedia robot

Rhododendron subsect. Ledum facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts


Quick facts for kids
Rhododendron subsect. Ledum
Ledum glandulosum 7486.JPG
Rhododendron columbianum (Ledum glandulosum)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Plantae
(unranked):
Angiosperms
(unranked):
Eudicots
(unranked):
Asterids
Order:
Ericales
Family:
Ericaceae
Genus:
Rhododendron
Subgenus:
Rhododendron
Section:
Rhododendron
Subsection:
Ledum

(L.) Kron & Judd
Species

See text.

Ledum was a genus in the family Ericaceae, including 8 species of evergreen shrubs native to cool temperate and subarctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere and commonly known as Labrador tea. It is now recognised as a subsection of section Rhododendron, subgenus Rhododendron, of the genus Rhododendron.

Description

Ledum species often grow together with poisonous plants such as bog-laurel and bog-rosemary, but certain species (e.g. L. groenlandicum and L. palustre) are easily distinguished by the distinctive rust coloured fuzz on the bottom of leaves.

Taxonomy

Reclassification into Rhododendron

Recent genetic evidence has shown that the species previously treated in this genus are correctly placed in the genus Rhododendron, where they are now treated as Rhododendron subsect. Ledum. Because some of the species names used in Ledum could not be used in Rhododendron (the names already having been used for other species already in this large genus), new names had to be coined for them.

Species

The species listed in genus Ledum (accepted and synonyms), with their current accepted names are:

Ledum species Author GBIF Status TPL Status GBIF Accepted species Author GBIF Status TPL Accepted species Author TPL Status
Ledum L. Accepted
Ledum angustifolium Hort. ex Lavallée Accepted
Ledum buxifolium Bergius Synonym Kalmia buxifolia (Bergius) Gift & Kron Accepted
Ledum californicum Kellogg Synonym Ledum glandulosum Accepted
Ledum columbianum Piper Synonym Accepted Rhododendron columbianum (Piper) Harmaja Accepted
Ledum decumbens (Ait.) Lodd. Synonym Rhododendron tomentosum subsp. decumbens (Aiton) Elven & D.F.Murray Accepted
Ledum decumbens (Ait.) Lodd. ex Steud. Synonym Synonym Rhododendron tomentosum subsp. decumbens (Aiton) Elven & D.F.Murray Accepted Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens Accepted
Ledum decumbens Small Accepted Accepted
Ledum glandulosum Nutt. Synonym Accepted Rhododendron neoglandulosum Harmaja Accepted
Ledum glandulosum subsp. glandulosum Synonym Ledum glandulosum Accepted
Ledum glandulosum var. californicum (Kellogg) C.L.Hitchc. Synonym Ledum glandulosum Accepted
Ledum glandulosum var. glandulosum Synonym Ledum glandulosum Accepted
Ledum groenlandicum Oeder Synonym Synonym Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) K.A.Kron & W.S.Judd Accepted Ledum palustre subsp. groenlandicum Accepted
Ledum groenlandicum Retz. Accepted
Ledum groenlandicum f. denudatum Vict. & J.Rousseau Accepted
Ledum groenlandicum subsp. glandulosum (Nutt.) Á.Löve & D.Löve Synonym Synonym Rhododendron neoglandulosum Harmaja Accepted Ledum glandulosum Accepted
Ledum groenlandicum var. aridiphilum D.Löve Accepted
Ledum hypoleucum Kom. Synonym Synonym Rhododendron diversipilosum (Nakai) H.Harmaja Accepted Rhododendron hypoleucum (Kom.) Harmaja Accepted
Ledum idahoensis Accepted
Ledum macrophyllum Tolm. Synonym Accepted Rhododendron diversipilosum (Nakai) H.Harmaja Accepted
Ledum maximum (Nakai) A.P.Khokhr. & M.T.Mazurenko Synonym Accepted Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja Accepted
Ledum palustre L. Synonym Accepted Rhododendron tomentosum Harmaja Accepted
Ledum palustre Michx. Synonym Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) K.A.Kron & W.S.Judd Accepted
Ledum palustre f. decumbens (Aiton) Y.L.Chou & S.L.Tung Synonym Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens Accepted
Ledum palustre subsp. angustissimum Worosch. Synonym Rhododendron subulatum (Nakai) Harmaja Accepted
Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens (Aiton) Hultén Accepted
Ledum palustre subsp. diversipilosum Hara Synonym Ledum macrophyllum Accepted
Ledum palustre subsp. groenlandicum (Oeder) Hultén Synonym Accepted Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) K.A.Kron & W.S.Judd Accepted
Ledum palustre var. angustifolium Hook. Accepted
Ledum palustre var. angustum E.A.Busch Synonym Ledum palustre Accepted
Ledum palustre var. decumbens Aiton Synonym Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens Accepted
Ledum palustre var. diversipilosum Nakai Synonym Synonym Rhododendron diversipilosum (Nakai) H.Harmaja Accepted Ledum macrophyllum Accepted
Ledum palustre var. latifolium (Jacq.) Hook. Synonym Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) K.A.Kron & W.S.Judd Accepted
Ledum palustre var. latifolium (Jacq.) Michx. Synonym Rhododendron groenlandicum (Oeder) K.A.Kron & W.S.Judd Accepted
Ledum palustre var. maximum Nakai Synonym Ledum maximum Accepted
Ledum palustre var. palustre Synonym Ledum palustre Accepted
Ledum palustre var. subulatum Nakai Synonym Rhododendron subulatum (Nakai) Harmaja Accepted
Ledum serpyllifolium Accepted
Ledum subulatum (Nakai) A.P.Khokhr. & M.T.Mazurenko Synonym Synonym Rhododendron subulatum (Nakai) Harmaja Accepted Rhododendron subulatum (Nakai) Harmaja Accepted

Hybrids

Natural hybrids (nothospecies) also occur.

  • Ledum columbianum = Rhododendron × columbianum (R. groenlandicum × R. neoglandulosum) is listed by Harri Harmaja as a natural hybrid.
  • Rhododendron vanhoeffeni Abromeit is a probably hybrid between Ledum palustre subsp. decumbens and Rhododendron lapponicum.

Uses

LedumEssOil
Ledum (L. groenlandicum) essential oil in clear glass vial

Some species (e.g. L. groenlandicum) have been used to produce Labrador tea. Other species have varying levels of toxicity (e.g. L. glandulosum). Evergreen Labrador Tea grows slowly, but retains its leaves year-round. Users should take care not to over-harvest leaves from any single plant.

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Rhododendron subsect. Ledum Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.