Rhododendron minus |
Rhododendron maximum |
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Piedmont rhododendron |
great laurel, great rosebay, rhododendron, rosebay, rosebay rhododendron |
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Habit | Shrubs, to 3(–5) mm, often rhizomatous. | Shrubs or trees, to 10 m, sometimes rhizomatous. | ||||
Stems | bark smooth to vertically furrowed, shredding; twigs with ferrugineous, multicellular, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales. |
bark smooth to vertically furrowed, shredding; twigs multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy and eglandular-hairy (hairs basally branched, crisped/matted), glabrate in age. |
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Leaves | persistent; petiole with ferruginous, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales and unicellular-hairy; blade narrowly elliptic to elliptic or oval, sometimes obovate, (1–)5–8(–13) × (1–)2–3.5(–5.5) cm, thick, coriaceous, margins entire, plane to conspicuously revolute, with scattered, glandular-peltate scales, apex acute or acuminate or obtuse to rounded, surfaces with scattered, ferruginous, broad-rimmed, glandular-peltate scales abaxially, (scales ± deciduous adaxially). |
persistent; petiole multicellular-hairy (hairs ± branched), often glabrescent; blade oblong to obovate or elliptic, (6–)9–20(–31) × (1.5–)2–5(–8) cm (length/width ratio 2.4–8), thick, coriaceous, margins entire, revolute to ± plane, glabrous or sparsely hairy (hairs branched), apex acuminate to sometimes acute, surfaces scattered stipitate-glandular-hairy and eglandular-hairy (hairs forming dense mat, basally branched, crisped, abaxially becoming sticky and matted, forming ± scaly or continuous, pale, shellaclike coating, smooth to slightly roughened, hairs ± deciduous adaxially). |
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Inflorescences | 5–10-flowered; bracts similar to bud scales. |
10–25-flowered; bracts similar to bud scales. |
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Pedicels | 5–15 mm, with ferruginous scales. |
17–60 mm, multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy. |
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Flowers | opening before or after development of leaves, erect to horizontal, fragrant; calyx lobes 0.5–2 mm, with ferruginous scales; corolla dark to very pale pink or white, upper lobe usually with greenish spots, campanulate to funnelform, 15–37 mm, with scattered, ferruginous, peltate scales on outer surface, petals connate (for 3/4+ their lengths), lobes 8–19 mm, tube gradually expanding into lobes, 8–22 mm; stamens 10, included to slightly exserted, ± unequal, 13–26 mm. |
opening after development of leaves (of flowering shoots), erect to horizontal, not or only slightly fragrant; calyx lobes 2–6 mm, stipitate-glandular-hairy; corolla white to pink, rarely deep pink to purple, with yellowish green spots on upper lobe, campanulate, 20–36 mm, scattered stipitate-glandular-hairy on outer surface, petals connate, lobes 10–23 mm, tube gradually expanding into lobes, 7–16 mm; stamens 10, included, ± unequal, 14–26 mm; (ovary stipitate-glandular-hairy). |
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Capsules | borne on erect pedicels, 6–14 × 2.9–5 mm, with ferruginous, peltate scales. |
borne on erect pedicels, 8–20 × 4–6.5 mm, stipitate-glandular-hairy. |
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Seeds | with short, blunt/truncate tails at each end; testa closely appressed. |
without distinct tails, flattened portion of testa well developed at each end; testa expanded, dorsiventrally flattened, loose. |
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Floral | bud scales ferruginous-lepidote, sometimes also unicellular-hairy abaxially, margins unicellular-ciliate. |
bud scales stipitate-glandular-hairy, eglandular-hairy (hairs ferruginous, crisped), and short unicellular-hairy abaxially, margins hairy (hairs branched, long-celled). |
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2n | = 26. |
= 26. |
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Rhododendron minus |
Rhododendron maximum |
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Phenology | Flowering summer. | |||||
Habitat | Stream banks, mesic woods | |||||
Elevation | 0-1900 m (0-6200 ft) | |||||
Distribution |
AL; FL; GA; NC; SC; TN
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AL; CT; GA; KY; MA; MD; ME; NC; NH; NJ; NY; OH; PA; RI; SC; TN; VA; VT; WV
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Discussion | Varieties 2 (2 in the flora). Rhododendron minus is here circumscribed broadly, including R. carolinianum and R. chapmanii, and the latter is considered to be a distinct variety (W. H. Duncan and T. M. Pullen 1962). Variety chapmanii is federally listed. This species is often grown as an ornamental. Rhododendron minus and R. lapponicum are members of subg. Rhododendron, as indicated by their glandular-peltate scales; the subgenus is represented by hundreds of species in eastern and southern Asia (see J. Cullen 1980). (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
Individuals of Rhododendron maximum are beautiful, cold-hardy shrubs and are frequently cultivated as ornamentals. Hybrids with R. catawbiense occur. This species has been attributed in standard floras to eastern Canada but not confirmed there by specimens. (Discussion copyrighted by Flora of North America; reprinted with permission.) |
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Key |
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Source | FNA vol. 8, p. 460. | FNA vol. 8, p. 463. | ||||
Parent taxa | Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Rhododendron | Ericaceae > subfam. Ericoideae > Rhododendron | ||||
Sibling taxa | ||||||
Subordinate taxa | ||||||
Synonyms | R. ashleyi | |||||
Name authority | Michaux: J. Hist. Nat. 1: 412. 1792 , | Linnaeus: Sp. Pl. 1: 392. 1753 , | ||||
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