The Ericaceae are a family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with c. 4250 known species spread across 124 genera, making it the 14th most species-rich family of flowering plants. The many well known and economically important members of the Ericaceae include the cranberry, blueberry, huckleberry, rhododendron, and various common heaths and heathers.
Rhododendron is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants 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.
Azaleas are flowering shrubs in the genus Rhododendron, particularly the former sections Tsutsusi (evergreen) and Pentanthera (deciduous). Azaleas bloom in the spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks. Shade tolerant, they prefer living near or under trees. They are part of the family Ericaceae.
Engelbert Kaempfer from Lemgo was a German naturalist, physician, explorer and writer known for his tour of Russia, Persia, India, Southeast Asia, and Japan between 1683 and 1693.
The Edith J. Carrier Arboretum is an arboretum and botanical garden on the James Madison University campus, located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, United States in the Shenandoah Valley. Groundbreaking for the arboretum took place April, 1985, under direction of Dr. Norlyn Bodkin,[1] who is credited the first scientific botanical discovery along the Eastern Seaboard of Virginia since the 1940s, Trillium: Shenandoah Wake Robin, presently found at the arboretum[2]. The only arboretum located on the campus of a Virginia state university. Exhibits include a developed trail system through 125 acres (0.51 km2) of mature Oak-Hickory Forrest with two identified century specimens and a species on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Threatened Species list protected at the arboretum: Betula uber, Round-Leaf Birch.[3]
Satsuki azalea is a cultivar group of the species Rhododendron indicum, a type of azalea extensively cultivated and hybridized by the Japanese. It is native to the mountains of Japan.
The Mobile Botanical Gardens were founded in 1974, and are located on Museum Drive in the Spring Hill community in Mobile, Alabama, United States.
Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park, which includes the Coe Hall Historic House Museum, is an arboretum and state park covering over 400 acres (160 ha) located in the village of Upper Brookville in the town of Oyster Bay, New York.
Rhododendron occidentale, the western azalea or California azalea, is one of two deciduous Rhododendron species native to western North America. The western azalea is known to occur as far north as Lincoln and Douglas Counties in Oregon and as far south as the mountains of San Diego county. Typically found in the coastal ranges of western North America, it also grows in the Cascade and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges, but is not known east of them.
Caloptilia azaleella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is endemic to Japan, but has been introduced worldwide, wherever there are Azaleas.
The Rhododendron-Park Bremen, also known as the Rhododendron-Park und Botanischer Garten Bremen, is the biggist collection of rhododendrons and azaleas worldwide, as well as a substantial botanical garden, located in Bremen, Germany. It is open daily; park admission is free but a fee is charged for the nature center Botanika.
Rhododendron section Tsutsusi was a subgenus of the genus Rhododendron, commonly referred to as the evergreen azaleas. In 2005 it was reduced to a section of subgenus Azaleastrum. Containing 80 - 117 species, it includes both deciduous and evergreen types and is distributed in Japan, China and northeastern Asia. They are of high cultural importance to the Japanese. Among the species in this genus lie the largest flowering azaleas.
Caloptilia zachrysa is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from China, India, Japan, Korea, Sri Lanka and Taiwan.
Rhododendron subgenus Azaleastrum is a subgenus of the genus Rhododendron.
Rhododendron subsection Brachycalyx is a subsection of the genus Rhododendron, in section Tsutsusi, subgenus Azaleastrum, consisting of fifteen species of Azaleas from Asia.
Rhododendron subsection Tsutsusi is a subsection of the genus Rhododendron, in section Tsutsusi, subgenus Azaleastrum, consisting of 66 species of Azaleas.
The Haaga Rhododendron Park is a public park containing various varieties of rhododendron, located in the district of Haaga in Helsinki, Finland. Although originally used for breeding and research purposes, the park is now a popular attraction among locals.
Rhododendron albrechtii is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is endemic to Japanese temperate rainforests. Native of central and northern Japan; described from specimens collected in the 1860s by Michael Albrecht of the Russian Consulate at Hakodate, for whom the species is named.
Rhododendron yedoense, the Korean azalea, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, with a disjunct distribution in northern Myanmar, Yunnan province in China, South Korea, and northern Kyushu island of Japan. Hardy in USDA zones 4 through 9, it is recommended as a hedge, and has above average resistance to the root rot that often afflicts azaleas. Rhododendron yedoense f. poukhanense is a major parental contributor to many modern hybrid azaleas.
