Marsh tea

Marsh Tea is a common name for several plants and may refer to:

• Ledum palustre, a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to northern parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
• Rhododendron tomentosum, a species in the heath family Ericaceae, native to northern Europe and northern Asia.

Ledum palustre

Ledum palustre, commonly known as Marsh Tea, is a flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is native to the cool temperate and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. The plant is a low shrub growing to 50–100 cm (rarely up to 2 m) tall. The leaves are evergreen, small, 1.5–5 cm long, and with a distinctively 'rolled down' margin; they are green above, and white below with short woolly hair.

The plant is notable for its strong aromatic scent. The leaves have been used for centuries in traditional medicine and for brewing herbal tea, hence the common name "Marsh Tea". However, all parts of the plant are toxic and can be harmful if ingested in large quantities.

Rhododendron tomentosum

Rhododendron tomentosum, synonym Ledum palustre, is also commonly known as Marsh Tea. It is a species in the heath family Ericaceae, native to northern Europe and northern Asia. The plant is a small shrub growing up to 1.5 m tall. The leaves are evergreen, 1–2 cm long, and covered in dense, short woolly hair, giving them a grayish color.

The plant has a strong aromatic scent, similar to that of Ledum palustre. The leaves have been used in traditional medicine and for brewing herbal tea, but like Ledum palustre, all parts of the plant are toxic and can be harmful if ingested in large quantities.

See also

• List of plants known as tea
• List of poisonous plants