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Cascade azalea, white rhododendron, white-flower azalea, white-flower rhododendron

Mt. Labrador tea, smooth Labrador tea, trapper's-tea, western Labrador tea

Habit Shrubs, to 2.5 m, rhizomatous. Shrubs or trees, to 2 m, rhizomatous.
Stems

bark ± smooth to furrowed;

twigs multicellular eglandular-hairy (hairs unbranched) and unicellular-hairy.

bark smooth, sometimes peeling or shredding with age;

twigs unicellular-hairy, papillate, with flattened, glandular scales (lepidote).

Leaves

deciduous;

petiole multicellular eglandular- and stipitate-glandular-hairy and unicellular-hairy;

blade narrowly elliptic or ovate to obovate, 2–9 × 0.8–3 cm, thin, membranous to chartaceous, margins minutely serrate, plane, ciliate when young, eglandular- and stipitate-glandular-hairy, apex acute to ± rounded, surfaces scattered eglandular-hairy, ± glabrescent.

persistent, (fragrant when crushed);

petiole with glandular-peltate scales without broad rim and few, ferruginous, long-crisped hairs;

blade (white or pale green abaxially), ovate to lanceolate, (1–)2–8 × 1.5–3 cm, coriaceous, margins entire, plane, glabrous, apex usually acute, abaxial surface sparsely to densely papillate, with few, ferruginous, long-crisped hairs and glandular-peltate scales without broad rim, adaxial surface with scattered lepidote scales and/or papillae, sometimes also unicellular-hairy along midrib.

Inflorescences

lateral (axillary, i.e., above leaf scars, spaced along shoots of previous year), fasciculate, 1–2-flowered;

bracts similar to bud scales.

slightly rounded, 10–35-flowered;

bracts lepidote abaxially, margins ciliate, unicellular-hairy.

Pedicels

to 9–15 mm, eglandular- and stipitate-glandular-hairy.

4–25 mm, with dense to sparse, ferruginous, long-crisped, unicellular and/or peltate scales, sometimes also long-stalked, multicellular glandular-hairy.

Flowers

± radially symmetric, opening soon after (and borne below) expanded leaves, pendulous, very fragrant (similar to vanilla and jasmine);

calyx lobes 5–17 mm, eglandular- and stipitate-glandular-hairy, margins glandular-hairy;

corolla white, rarely marked with yellow, bowl-shaped, 9–22 mm, minutely unicellular-hairy or glabrous on outer surface, petals connate, lobes 6–15 mm, tube expanding into lobes, 3–9 mm;

stamens 9(–12), included, ± unequal, 5.5–14 mm.

radially symmetric, opening after leaves (of flowering shoots), ± erect, fragrance not noticeable at mid day;

calyx lobes (often reflexed in fruit), ± 1–1.5 mm, outer surface densely to sparsely unicellular-hairy (hairs tan) and multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy (hairs red) on margins;

corolla white to cream, without blotch, ± rotate, 2–8 mm, inner surface hairy proximally, outer surface glabrous, petals appearing distinct or only slightly connate basally, lobes (4–)5–7 mm;

stamens (8–)10(–12), exserted, ± equal, 4.5–8.4 mm.

Capsules

borne on erect pedicels, 6–8 × 5–6 mm, stipitate-glandular-, eglandular-, and unicellular-hairy.

borne on recurved pedicels, 2.5–5 × 2–6 mm (only slightly longer than wide), glabrous, acropetally dehiscent.

Seeds

with distinct tails;

testa closely appressed.

somewhat elongated beyond narrow ends;

testa closely appressed.

Floral

bud scales stipitate-glandular- and eglandular-hairy abaxially, margins stipitate-glandular-hairy.

bud scales with peltate scales without broad rim and unicellular-hairy abaxially, margins unicellular-hairy.

2n

= 26.

= 26.

Rhododendron albiflorum

Rhododendron columbianum

Phenology Flowering late spring–summer. Flowering spring-mid summer.
Habitat Coniferous forests, alpine thickets, stream banks, seeps on rock outcrops Bogs, swamps, stream margins, sometimes on well-drained sites
Elevation 800-3500 m [2600-11500 ft] 0-3500 m [0-11500 ft]
Distribution
from FNA
CO; ID; MT; OR; WA; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
from FNA
CA; CO; ID; MT; NV; OR; UT; WA; WY; AB; BC
[WildflowerSearch map]
[BONAP county map]
Discussion

Rhododendron albiflorum is especially distinctive due to its axillary, white, somewhat pendulous, and nearly actinomorphic flowers, and it is placed in the monotypic subg. Candidastrum (Sleumer) Philipson & Philipson (W. R. Philipson and M. N. Philipson 1986). It is occasionally used as an ornamental. The disjunct population in Colorado has somewhat smaller calyx lobes and corollas and shorter stamens; it is sometimes recognized as var. warrenii (M. A. Lane et al. 1993). This variety is not recognized here because of the extent of morphological overlap between that population and those of the Pacific Northwest.

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

Source FNA vol. 8, p. 464. Treatment authors: Walter S. Judd, Kathleen A. Kron. FNA vol. 8, p. 459. Treatment authors: Walter S. Judd, Kathleen A. Kron.
Parent taxa Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Rhododendron Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Rhododendron
Sibling taxa
R. alabamense, 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
R. alabamense, R. albiflorum, R. arborescens, R. atlanticum, R. austrinum, R. calendulaceum, R. canadense, R. canescens, R. catawbiense, 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 Azaleastrum albiflorum, R. albiflorum var. warrenii Ledum columbianum, Ledum glandulosum, R. neoglandulosum
Name authority Hooker: Fl. Bor.-Amer. 2: 43, plate 133. 1834 , (Piper) Harmaja: Ann. Bot. Fenn. 27: 203. (1990)
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