Chamaedaphne calyculata (L.) Moench
Leatherleaf
Leatherleaf is circumboreal—it is native to northern regions around the world.
Plants: Multiply branched shrubs 12–59″ (30–150 cm) in height, with roots that extend about 1′ (30 cm) into soggy soil. They are found in dense, floating mats of sphagnum in fresh water, or along edges of water, especially bogs.
Leaves: Alternate, unlobed, sometimes toothed, leathery, elliptical to broadly lanceolate, ⅜–1¾ ⨉ ⅛–⅝″ (1–5 cm ⨉ 5–17 mm). Leaf edges are slightly curled downward.
Flowers: ¼″ (6.3 mm) in size, white, and urn-shaped, similar to blueberry flowers. They occur in long racemes and hang one-sided, like bells. They appear from April to July. Buds are covered with tiny, brown scales.
Fruits: Round, reddish capsules about ¼″ (6.3 mm) around.
Habitats: Shallow fresh water, both floating in mats and at water’s edge, acidic bogs.
Edibility: Some native North Americans brewed tea from fresh or dry leaves, but boiling may release enough grayanotoxin I, also called “andromedotoxin,” to be toxic. (The same substance is found in some rhododendrons.) Although grayanotoxin I poisoning is rarely fatal, it probably isn’t what you had in mind from a cup of tea, and steeping the leaves in a jar of water in a sunny spot, instead of boiling, was said to minimize this problem.
Online References:
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 15 × 10″ (39 × 26 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (22 × 14 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine 
ID is uncertain 
9/28/2013 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 7 × 11″ (18 × 28 cm) 
10/16/2016 · Guilder Pond, Mount Everett, Mt. Washington, Massachusetts · ≈ 5 × 4½″ (12 × 12 cm) 
8/22/2020 · Kettle Hole Bog, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (18 × 12 cm) 
8/9/2025 · Garcelon Bog, Lewiston, Maine · ≈ 5 × 6″ (12 × 15 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
9/16/2016 · Sieur de Monts Botanical Gardens, Bar Harbor, Maine ID is uncertain 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4½″ (14 × 12 cm) 
8/3/2025 · Saco Heath Preserve, Saco, Maine · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (17 × 11 cm) 
10/26/2012 · Dunstable Rural Land Trust Wildlife Refuge, Dunstable, Massachusetts · ≈ 6 × 4″ (15 × 10 cm) ID is uncertain 
9/20/2009 · Wild Gardens of Acadia, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 2 × 1′ (62 × 41 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 11 × 7″ (27 × 18 cm) 
10/16/2016 · Guilder Pond, Mount Everett, Mt. Washington, Massachusetts · ≈ 4½ × 7″ (12 × 18 cm) 
8/22/2020 · Kettle Hole Bog, Hidden Valley Nature Center, Jefferson, Maine · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
10/16/2016 · Guilder Pond, Mount Everett, Mt. Washington, Massachusetts · ≈ 7 × 4½″ (16 × 11 cm) 
6/22/2017 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts · ≈ 8 × 5″ (20 × 13 cm) 
9/20/2009 · Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine · ≈ 9 × 6″ (23 × 15 cm) 
| Kingdom | Plantae | Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae (from Stearn's Botanical Latin) |
| Subkingdom | Tracheobionta | Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients |
| Division | Magnoliophyta | Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms |
| Class | Magnoliopsida | Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves |
| Subclass | Asteridae | A large class that encompasses asters |
| Order | Ericales | Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others |
| Family | Ericaceae | Heath or heather family |
| Genus | Chamaedaphne | From Greek chamai, “on the ground;” and daphun, “laurel” |
| Species | calyculata | From calyx, “husk covering calyx;” and ula, “little” |
Chamaedaphne calyculata description by Thomas H. Kent, not updated.
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