Rhododendron columbianum

Western labrador tea

Family: Ericaceae · Type: shrub · Native

Western labrador tea is a California native shrub found in coastal regions, the Klamath Ranges, Sierra Nevada, and other mountainous areas in bogs, stream margins, and occasionally well-drained sites at elevations up to 3,630 meters. Flowering from May to August, this plant produces white to cream bell-shaped flowers in rounded clusters. Growing up to 2 meters tall with smooth bark that may peel or shred with age, it has erect stems covered in fine unicellular hairs. Its leathery, evergreen leaves are 1 to 8 centimeters long with margins that are flat or slightly rolled under, featuring sparse glandular scales on their surface. The fruit is a capsule 8 to 10 millimeters wide that dehisces from base to tip.

Habitat: Coast, higher elevations inland, bogs, stream margins, occasionally well-drained sites

Bloom period: May-Aug

Elevation: < 3630 m

Bioregions: NCo, KR, s NCoRO, CaRH, s SNF, SNH, CCo, SnFrB, n SCoRI, Wrn, SNE

California counties: Tulare, Mono, El Dorado, Tuolumne, Mariposa, Mendocino, Del Norte, Fresno, Nevada, Inyo, Sierra, Sonoma, Plumas, Calaveras, Marin, Shasta, Madera, Humboldt, Trinity, Lassen, Placer, Siskiyou, Modoc, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Tehama, Alpine, Amador, Monterey

Data from The California Species Project — 14,000+ California species with verified data from CNPS, CDFW, USFWS, Jepson eFlora, Cal-IPC, and more.