Botanica Pacifica

Review paper

Botanica Pacifica. A journal of plant science and conservation 2024. Preprint
Article first published online: 15 JUN 2024 | DOI: 10.17581/bp.2024.13202

A review of Labrador tea diversity in Northeast Asia

Diana R. Iunusova ORCID & Maria A. Polezhaeva ORCID

Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology, Ural Division RAS, Ekaterinburg, Russia


Labrador teas are a small but systematically complex group of species of the Ericaceae family. The group is represented by cold-resistant evergreen shrubs, common in the boreal and subarctic zones of the northern hemisphere, both in Eurasia and North America. Described historically as part of the distinct genus Ledum L., Labrador teas were later included in the genus Rhododendron as a subsection Ledum in subgenus Rhododendron. The high variability of morphological characters, their dependence on geographical and environmental factors, makes it difficult to clearly distinguish from 4 to 9 described taxa. Labrador teas play a key ecological role as dominants in damp communities of temperate and cold climates and are often pioneers in successional communities of disturbed habitats. This species complex is also interesting as a model group for studying the processes of hybridization and diversification, since different species tend to coexist in sympatry, especially in northeast Asia. This review summarizes the results of studying the species diversity of Labrador teas, mainly in Northeast Asia, changes in their taxonomy and hypotheses of origin.

Юнусова Д.Р., Полежаева М.А. Обзор разнообразия багульников в Северо-Восточной Азии. Багульники – небольшая, но систематически сложная группа видов семейства Ericaceae. Группа представлена холодостойкими вечнозелеными кустарниками, распространенными в бореальной и субарктической зонах северного полушария, как в Евразии, так и в Северной Америке. Описанные исторически как часть отдельного рода Ledum L., багульники позднее были включены в род Rhododendron в качестве подсекции Ledum в подроде Rhododendron. Высокая изменчивость морфологических признаков, их зависимость от географических и экологических факторов затрудняет четкое разграничение от 4 до 9 описанных таксонов. Багульники играют ключевую экологическую роль как доминанты во влажных сообществах умеренного и холодного климата и часто являются пионерами в сукцессионных сообществах нарушенных местообитаний. Этот видовой комплекс также интересен как модельная группа для изучения процессов гибридизации и диверсификации, поскольку различные виды обычно сосуществуют в симпатрии, особенно в северо-восточной Азии. В данном обзоре обобщены результаты изучения видового разнообразия багульников, главным образом, в Северо-Восточной Азии, изменения в их таксономии и гипотезы происхождения.

Keywords: closely related species, hybridization, Ledum, Rhododendron tomentosum, sympatry, taxonomy, близкородственные виды, гибридизация, симпатрия, таксономия

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