356 FLOWERING SHRUBS 



Plants that grow in very clamp localities are specially depend- 

 ent upon the free perspiration of their leaves to throw off the 

 vast quantities of moisture they absorb through their roots 

 and stems ; consequently such marsh shrubs as the Labra- 

 dor Teas are forced to adopt a regular system in order to 

 prevent the pores of their leaves from becoming so congested 

 with moisture from outside that they cannot perform their 

 legitimate function of throwing off the moisture from within. 

 The small branches are also covered with red, rusty, wool-like 

 hairs. 



The flower-clusters are very beautiful, each individual blos- 

 som consisting of five pure white petals, with a large green 

 ovary set in the centre ; the style and numerous long stamens 

 are very conspicuous. Both the flowers and leaves have a 

 strong aromatic fragrance. 



L. crlcindiilos2im, or Smooth-leaved Labrador Tea, has also 

 long-shaped, thick, leathery leaves of a brownish-green hue, 

 but they are not woolly underneath, being quite smooth on 

 both sides, though slightly white and resinous below. The 

 flower-clusters closely resemble those of L. latifoliit^n. 



The name Labrador Tea is derived from the fact that many 

 old settlers, and also campers and lumbermen in the back- 

 woods, formerly used in place of tea a decoction brewed 

 from the aromatic leaves of this shrub. 



WHITE MOUNTAIN RHODODENDRON 



Rhododendron albiflorum. Heath Family 



Leaves : membranaceous, oblong, obscurely undulate. Flowers : from 

 separate one-to-three flowered, lateral, scaly, cone-like buds below the 

 leaves ; calyx five-parted, the divisions more or less foliaceous ; corolla 

 five-lobed ; filaments bearded at the base, open-campanulate ; stamens 

 ten ; style peltate, five-lobed. 



