Rhododendron
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Rhododendron (from the Greek:
rhodos, rose;
dendron, tree) is a genus of flowering plants in the family
Ericaceae. This is such a large genus that the plants are organised by subgenus, section, subsection and alliance.
These subgenera can be basically divided into four groups:\n*large leaf or elepidotes (without scales on the underside of their leaves) \n*small leaf or lepidotes (with scales on the underside of their leaves)\n*evergreen azaleas \n*deciduous azaleas.
\nRhododendron is a very widely distributed genus, but a major concentration of diversity occurs in the
Sino-Himalayan mountains of southeast
Asia from central
Nepal east to
Yunnan and
Sichuan, with other significant areas of diversity in the mountains of
Indo-China,
Japan and
Taiwan. Several species also occur in
North America and a few in
Europe, and some tropical species occur as far south as
Borneo and
New Guinea. They grow well in acid soil, and are noted for their many clusters of large trumpet-shaped blooms and their glossy oval leaves. Most rhododendrons flower for only a brief period each year, but during that time they provide a stunning display of massed colour.
The largest natural rhododendron garden in the world is in Bakersville,
North Carolina. The garden is situated on the top of Roan Mountain state park.
The Rhododendron is the
state flower of
Washington and
West Virginia.
There are several hundred
cultivars of Rhododendron. These have been bred to have larger or smaller flowers, and a vast array of petal colours. An example of a cultivar popular in the
US is
Rhododendron 'President Roosevelt'.
Rhododendrons have a
toxin called
grayanotoxin in their
pollen and
nectar. People have been known to become ill from eating
honey made by
bees feeding on rhododendron and azalea flowers.
See also:
azalea
External links
\n*Henning's Rhododendron & Azaleas Pages\n*
http://www.bakersville.com
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