Rhododendron catawbiense - (image 1 of 6)
Taxonomy
Family: Ericaceae
Habitat
Mountain woods.
Associates
Distribution
VA west to KY, south to GA and AL. A population apparently occurs in MA as well (USDA 2002).
Morphology
Shrub or small tree. Leaves evergreen, leathery, oval to elliptic, glabrous, entire. Flowers pale magenta-purple; calyx lobes under 1 mm; pedicels and ovaries eglandular, minutely hairy.
Notes
Flowers May and June
Wetland indicator: NA
A southern species that can be grown further north. These plants were photographed at the Morton Arboretum. The white flowered specimens are forma Alba. A similar species with longer calyx lobes and glandular pedicels and ovaries is R. maximum L. It often grows in large colonies and occurs naturally further north.
References
Gleason, Henry A. and A. Cronquist. 1991. Manual of Vascular Plants of Northeastern United States and Adjacent Canada. Second Ed.
The New York Botanical Garden. Bronx, NY
USDA, NRCS. 2002.
The PLANTS Database, Version 3.5 (http://plants.usda.gov).
National Plant Data Center, Baton Rouge, LA 70874-4490 USA.
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Michael Hough © 2009 |