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Alabama azalea

Habit Shrubs, to 3(–5) m, usually not rhizomatous.
Stems

bark smooth to vertically furrowed, shredding;

twigs scattered, multicellular eglandular-hairy (hairs unbranched), otherwise glabrous or moderately unicellular-hairy.

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole unicellular- and stipitate-glandular-hairy;

blade ovate to obovate, 4–7.7(–9.4) × 1.2–2.5(–3.3) cm, thin, membranous, margins entire, plane, ciliate, eglandular-hairy, apex acute to obtuse, often mucronate, abaxial surface glabrous or unicellular-hairy, adaxial surface usually scattered eglandular-hairy, usually also unicellular-hairy.

Inflorescences

6–7-flowered;

bracts similar to bud scales.

Pedicels

4–12 mm, eglandular- and/or stipitate-glandular-hairy, otherwise glabrous or moderately unicellular-hairy.

Flowers

opening before or with leaves, erect to horizontal, very fragrant;

calyx lobes 0.1–3 mm, scattered eglandular-hairy and/or stipitate-glandular-hairy, otherwise sparsely to moderately unicellular-hairy, margins eglandular-hairy;

corolla white, sometimes pink-tinged, with contrasting yellow blotch on upper lobe, funnelform, 25–42 mm, scattered stipitate-glandular-hairy (hairs often continuing in lines up lobes), otherwise sparsely to moderately unicellular-hairy on outer surface, petals connate, lobes 9–21 mm, tube usually ± gradually expanded into lobes, 15–31 mm (longer than lobes);

stamens 5, much exserted, ± unequal, 37–69 mm.

Capsules

borne on erect pedicels, 14–22 × 3–4 mm, sparsely to moderately multicellular eglandular-hairy, otherwise moderately to densely unicellular-hairy.

Seeds

without distinct tails;

testa expanded, dorsiventrally flattened, ± loose.

Floral

bud scales glabrous or glabrate abaxially, margins unicellular-ciliate.

2n

= 26.

Rhododendron alabamense

Phenology Flowering spring.
Habitat Open, dry woodlands, rocky slopes
Elevation 0-500 m (0-1600 ft)
Distribution
from FNA
AL; FL; GA; MS; TN
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rhododendron alabamense may be most closely related to a clade containing orange-red-flowered species (K. A. Kron 1993). This species has sometimes been confused with R. eastmanii; R. alabamense flowers before or as the leaves expand whereas R. eastmanii flowers after the leaves have expanded. Hybrids with R. canescens are known.

(Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.)

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 467.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Rhododendron
Sibling taxa
R. albiflorum, R. arborescens, R. atlanticum, R. austrinum, R. calendulaceum, R. canadense, R. canescens, R. catawbiense, R. columbianum, R. cumberlandense, R. eastmanii, R. flammeum, R. groenlandicum, R. lapponicum, R. macrophyllum, R. maximum, R. minus, R. occidentale, R. periclymenoides, R. prinophyllum, R. prunifolium, R. tomentosum, R. vaseyi, R. viscosum
Synonyms Azalea alabamensis
Name authority Rehder: in E. H. Wilson and A. J. Rehder, Monogr. Azaleas, 141. 1921 ,
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