Rhododendron catawbiense

Last updated

Rhododendron catawbiense
Rhododendron-catawbiense.jpg
Rhododendron catawbiense growing wild on Mount Mitchell, North Carolina
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Rhododendron
Species:
R. catawbiense
Binomial name
Rhododendron catawbiense
Rhododendron catawbiense range map.jpg
Natural range

Rhododendron catawbiense, with common names Catawba rosebay, [2] Catawba rhododendron, [3] mountain rosebay, [3] purple ivy, [3] purple laurel, [3] purple rhododendron, [3] red laurel, [3] rosebay, [3] rosebay laurel, [3] is a species of Rhododendron native to the eastern United States, growing mainly in the southern Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia south to northern Alabama.

Contents

It is a dense, suckering shrub growing to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall, rarely 5 m (16 ft). The leaves are evergreen, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) broad. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm (1.2–1.8 in) in diameter, violet-purple, often with small spots or streaks. The fruit is a dry capsule 15–20 mm (19322532 in) long, containing numerous small seeds.

The species is named after the Catawba River. [4]

Classification

Rhododendron catawbiense belongs to the subgenus Hymenanthes, within which it is further assigned to section Ponticum and subsection Pontica. The latter—one of the 24 subsections of Ponticum—also contains about a dozen other species. The taxonomy has been confused by a tendency to group all large leaved Rhododendrons under the catch-all R. catawbiense. [5]

Cultivation and uses

Rhododendron catawbiense is cultivated as an ornamental plant, popular both in North America and in parts of Europe. It is primarily grown for its spring flower display. Outside of its native range, many cultivars and hybrids have been created, [6] such as 'Purple Elegans', 'Roseus Elegans', and 'Grandiflorum'.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Kalmia latifolia</i> Species of plant

Kalmia latifolia, the mountain laurel, calico-bush, or spoonwood, is a flowering plant and one of the 10 species in the genus of Kalmia belonging to the heath(er) family Ericaceae. It is native to the eastern United States. Its range stretches from southern Maine to northern Florida, and west to Indiana and Louisiana. Mountain laurel is the state flower of Connecticut and Pennsylvania. It is the namesake of Laurel County in Kentucky, the city of Laurel, Mississippi, and the Laurel Highlands in southwestern Pennsylvania.

<i>Rhododendron</i> Genus of flowering plants in the heath family Ericaceae

Rhododendron is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants and in the heath family (Ericaceae). They can be either evergreen or deciduous. Most species are native to eastern Asia and the Himalayan region, but smaller numbers occur elsewhere in Asia, and in North America, Europe and Australia.

<i>Pelargonium</i> Genus of plants

Pelargonium is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 280 species of perennials, succulents, and shrubs, commonly called geraniums, pelargoniums, or storksbills. Geranium is also the botanical name and common name of a separate genus of related plants, also known as cranesbills. Both genera belong to the family Geraniaceae, and Carl Linnaeus originally included all the species in one genus, Geranium; they were later separated into two genera by Charles Louis L'Héritier de Brutelle in 1789.

<i>Aesculus pavia</i> Species of tree

Aesculus pavia, known as red buckeye or firecracker plant, is a species of deciduous flowering plant. The small tree or shrub is native to the southern and eastern parts of the United States, found from Illinois to Virginia in the north and from Texas to Florida in the south. It is hardy far to the north of its native range, with successful cultivation poleward to Arboretum Mustila in Finland.

<i>Rhododendron atlanticum</i> Species of flowering bush

Rhododendron atlanticum, the dwarf azalea or coastal azalea, is a species of Rhododendron native to coastal areas of the eastern United States, from New Jersey south to Georgia.

<i>Monarda</i> Genus of flowering plants

Monarda is a genus of flowering plants in the mint family, Lamiaceae. The genus is endemic to North America. Common names include bergamot, bee balm, horsemint, and oswego tea, the first being inspired by the fragrance of the leaves, which is reminiscent of bergamot orange. The genus was named for the Spanish botanist Nicolás Monardes, who wrote a book in 1574 describing plants of the New World.

<i>Ulmus rubra</i> Species of tree

Ulmus rubra, the slippery elm, is a species of elm native to eastern North America. Other common names include red elm, gray elm, soft elm, moose elm, and Indian elm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connecticut College Arboretum</span> Arboretum and botanical gardens in Connecticut, US

The Connecticut College Arboretum is a 300 ha arboretum and botanical gardens, founded in 1931, and located on the campus of Connecticut College and in the towns of New London and Waterford, Connecticut, United States.

<i>Rhododendron canadense</i> Species of Rhododendron shrub

Rhododendron canadense, the rhodora or Canada rosebay, is a deciduous flowering shrub that is native to northeastern North America.

<i>Rhododendron <span style="font-style:normal;">subg.</span> Hymenanthes</i> Subgenus of flowering plants

Rhododendron subg. Hymenanthes is a subgenus of the genus Rhododendron, with a widespread distribution in the temperate Northern Hemisphere. The species are evergreen shrubs and small to medium-sized trees, with medium-sized to large leaves. The flowers are large, produced in terminal trusses of 5-40 together.

<i>Rhododendron ponticum</i> Species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae

Rhododendron ponticum, called common rhododendron or pontic rhododendron, is a species of flowering plant in the Rhododendron genus of the heath family Ericaceae. It is native to the Iberian Peninsula in southwest Europe and the Caucasus region in northern West Asia.

<i>Rhododendron luteum</i> Species of plant

Rhododendron luteum, the yellow azalea or honeysuckle azalea, is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae, native to southeastern Europe and southwest Asia. In Europe, it occurs from southern Poland and Austria, south through the Balkans, and east to southern Russia; and in Asia, east to the Caucasus.

<i>Rhododendron maximum</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhododendron maximum is a species of Rhododendron native to the Appalachians of eastern North America, from Alabama north to coastal Nova Scotia. Its common names include great laurel, great rhododendron, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron and big rhododendron.

<i>Rhododendron calendulaceum</i> Species of plant

Rhododendron calendulaceum, the flame azalea, is a species of Rhododendron. It is a deciduous shrub that grows up to 120–450 cm tall. This species of Rhododendron is native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, ranging from southern Pennsylvania and Ohio to northern Georgia. It may be extirpated from Pennsylvania and Alabama. It occurs naturally in mixed deciduous forests and is typically found in woodland slopes and mountain balds in the Appalachians, where it prefers dry and rocky mountain woods. The inflorescences of Rhododendron calendulaceum are visited by many animals such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and small mammals. It is a popular cultivated plant due to its bright yellow, orange or red flowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Appalachian balds</span> Mountain type

In the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, balds are mountain summits or crests covered primarily by thick vegetation of native grasses or shrubs occurring in areas where heavy forest growth would be expected.

Rhododendron album is a species of plant in the family Ericaceae. It is endemic to Java in Indonesia. It is a vulnerable species threatened by habitat loss.

<i>Rubus canadensis</i> Species of flowering plant

Rubus canadensis is a North American species of flowering plant in the rose family known by the common names smooth blackberry, Canadian blackberry, thornless blackberry and smooth highbush blackberry. It is native to central and eastern Canada and the eastern United States. It has also been sparingly recorded in Great Britain, in which it is often confused for the many other native blackberry species.

<i>Rhododendron lapponicum</i> Species of plant

Rhododendron lapponicum, the Lapland rosebay, is a dwarf rhododendron species found in subarctic regions of North America, Europe and Asia, where it grows at altitudes ranging from sea level to 1,900 m (6,200 ft). It is an evergreen prostrate shrub growing to 20–45 cm (7.9–17.7 in) in height, with leaves that are oblong-elliptic or ovate-elliptic to oblong-obovate, 0.4–1.5 by 0.2–0.5 cm in size. The flowers are reddish or purple.

<i>Rhododendron mucronulatum</i> Species of flowering plant

Rhododendron mucronulatum, the Korean rhododendron or Korean rosebay, is a rhododendron species native to Korea, Mongolia, Russia, and parts of northern China. It is a deciduous shrub that grows to 1–2 m (3.3–6.6 ft) in height, with elliptic or elliptic-lanceolate leaves, 3–7 cm long by 1–3.5 cm wide. The reddish-purple flowers appear in late winter or early spring, often on the bare branches before the foliage unfurls. It inhabits forested regions at 1,600–2,300 m (5,200–7,500 ft).

Phytophthora hydropathica is an oomycete plant pathogen that is found in aquatic environments such as irrigation and river water. The pathogen was previously classified as P. drechsleri Dre II before being categorized as its own distinct species. P. hydropathica has been primarily found in association with ornamental plant nurseries. The pathogen has been isolated throughout the Southern United States, as well as internationally in Mexico, Italy, and Spain.

References

  1. IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group.; Botanic Gardens Conservation International; et al. (BGCI) (2020). "Rhododendron catawbiense". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 2020: e.T156821604A156821606. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.2020-1.RLTS.T156821604A156821606.en . Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  2. NRCS. "Rhododendron catawbiense". PLANTS Database. United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Retrieved 21 October 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Wagstaff, D.J. (2008). International Poisonous Plants Checklist: An Evidence-Based Reference. Taylor & Francis. ISBN   9781420062533.
  4. Michaux, André; Michaux, André (1803). Flora boreali-americana, sistens caracteres plantarum quas in America septentrionali collegit et detexit Andreas Michaux. Vol. v.1. Parisiis et Argentorati: apud fratres Levrault.
  5. "Rhododendron catawbiense". www.hort.uconn.edu. Archived from the original on 2012-07-12.
  6. "Rhododendron catawbiense Cultivar List". www.ces.ncsu.edu. Archived from the original on 2004-09-02.