This erect, evergreen shrub is a member of the Heath Family. Other common names for this native plant includes Bog Labrador Tea, James Tea, Marsh Tea, and Swamp Tea. Low spreading to a height of up to 1 metre, it has distinctive leathery, evergreen leaves which have edges that are rolled under, and the undersides are covered with a thick layer of brown woolly hairs. They alternate along the younger hairy branches, and are narrow, blunt-tipped and oblong. These leaves were brewed for tea.

Labrador Tea flowers are white, growing in clusters and small in size (about 1 cm wide). They have 5 petals, are unscented and bloom from May to June in the Algonquin Highlands. They prefer to grow in acidic areas of bogs and wooded areas, primarily with Black or White Spruce. Bees are much attracted by its flowers. Leaves and twigs browsed by caribou and moose.

It reproduces primarily through sprouting from rhizomes but can reproduce by its seed.