Habitat

• eastern North America
• zone 4

Habit and Form

• multi-stemmed, evergreen, large shrub
• typically 8' to 15' tall, but can reach to 30' in Appalachian Mountains
• branching habit is upright and spreading to irregular
• texture is coarse and it is somewhat loose and open

Summer Foliage

• leaves are evergreen, broadest above the middle
• leaves are thick, leathery and dark green
• 4" to 8" long, somewhat strap-like
• underside of leaves is either green or a light rusty color
• upperside is dark green

Autumn Foliage

• no fall color
• evergreen

Flowers

• blooms later than most large-leaved rhododendrons in late June
• flowers are rose-pink, pink margined, or nearly white
• newly emerging shoot sometimes partially obscure the flowers
• individual flowers are 1.5" across and are borne in crowned clusters of up to 25 flowers
• flower buds are distictly larger than vegetative buds.
• flower bud are surrounded at the base with leaf-like bracts

Fruit

• dehiscent capsule
• not ornamentally attractive

Bark

• color is brown, with light ridges and furrows
• trunks often picturesque in the way they are contorted and twisted

Culture

• partial shade; tolerates relatively dense shade
• moist, cool, acidic, well-drained, organic soil
• avoid windswept, exposed or hot locations
• remove flower clusters following bloom to stimulate new growth and flower bud set
• transplant from containers or B&B.

Landscape Use

• shrub border
• shady locations
• naturalistic areas
• edge of woods
• as a screen

Liabilities

• lacebug
• phytophthora root rot
• winterburn in exposed sites
• chlorosis on high pH soils
• leaves roll up in temperatures below 25^o F to conserve moisture and unfurl when warm temperatures return
• flowers partially hidden by new shoots

ID Features

• long evergreen, strap-like leaves
• large flower buds surround by leaf-like bracts at the base
• large size for a rhododendron
• late blooming rhododendron (late June)

Propagation

• by seed
• by fall or winter stem cuttings

Cultivars/Varieties

var. album - The flowers of this form are white or nearly so.

var. roseum (also known as 'Roseum') - The emerging buds of this variety appear reddish and open to reveal pink flowers. It is a vigorous grower (to 12' tall) that offers reddish stems and dark green foliage.

'Leachii' (also known as var. leachii) - This form features leaves that are smaller than typical with deeply wavy margins. The plant is more compact than the species with pinkish-white blooms.

'Midsummer' - This cultivar bears pink blooms with a slightly gold throat. The healthy foliage is deep green and the habit is more open than the species.

'Pride's Pink' - A hardy plant with an upright-spreading habit, this cultivar has large pink blooms.