Woodland Pinedrops
Pterospora andromedea Nutt.
Pinedrops give the appearance of being all stem with whitish flowers hanging down. The stems are unbranched, purplish brown, sticky-hairy, and 1-4 feet tall. They terminate in long raceme of flowers each 1/4 to 3/8 inch broad. Leaves are reduced to narrow scales on the lower part of stems and lace the green coloring material (chlorophyll) which most plants manufacture food. They flower in the latter part of June through August The habitats of Pine Drops are rich humus provided by dead fall in the coniferous forest on dry to moist soil.
Food Uses
Stems may be eaten raw or cooked. They can be roasted or baked under the
fire 'like mushrooms.
Medicinal Uses
A cold infusion of the ground stems and berries has been used in the
treatment of lung hemorrhages and nose bleeds. An infusion of the roots has been
used in the treatment of gonorrhea.
Photo by W. Carl Taylor
Western Labrador Tea
Ledum glandulosum Nutt.
An evergreen shrub, with aromatic leaves that are ellipitic to oval and wrinkled-looking on the upper surface. It is upright, usually branched, and stands up to 6 feet tall with glandular-hairy twigs, and back that peels in shreds at maturity. The leaves are alternate, simple, evergreen, leathery, elliptic to oblong, usually rounded at the tip, rounded or tapering at the base, wrinkled-looking on the upper surface, glandular and paler on the lower surface, up to 2 1/2 inches long. There are many white flowers with 5 free petals in terminal clusters with stalks that are usually glandular-hairy, yellow-green, up to 1 inch long. It flowers from May to August.
