Leatherleaf is one of the most abundant bog shrubs in North America, often forming nearly pure stands in bogs and lake margins across the northern continent from Alaska to Newfoundland. It grows 2–4 feet tall with small, leathery, semi-evergreen leaves and tiny, nodding, white urn-shaped flowers that appear in early spring when bogs are still partially frozen. Leatherleaf peat deposits in ancient bogs have been carbon-dated to thousands of years old, showing that this species has dominated peatlands for millennia.
Habitat
Dominant shrub of bogs, lake margins, and peatlands across boreal North America.
Diet
Flowers provide critical early spring nectar for bees in northern bogs; dense mats shelter waterfowl nests.
How common
Common
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