Rhododendron alabamense |
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Alabama azalea |
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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 |
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Phenology | Flowering spring. |
Habitat | Open, dry woodlands, rocky slopes |
Elevation | 0-500 m (0-1600 ft) |
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; MS; TN
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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 | |
Sibling taxa | |
Synonyms | Azalea alabamensis |
Name authority | Rehder: in E. H. Wilson and A. J. Rehder, Monogr. Azaleas, 141. 1921 , |
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