We are in late May here in Florence, OR and the native rhododendrons have been in full bloom for awhile. There are three rhododendrons native to Oregon and I have been confused about which is which. This evening I sat down with my references and worked it out.
Ericaceae is the family to which the Rhododendron genus belongs.
The Rhododendron genus contains the three species:
R. albiflorum – This species has a less showy white flower, is hard to cultivate, and is not often noticed.
R. macrophyllum – This species is the beautiful pinkish species that grows from British Columbia to Northern California. It has ten stamens in each flower. This is the species called western rhododendron. It is blooming everywhere along the coast in late May.
R,. occidentale – This is called the western or native azalea. It grows from the Umpqua River valley to Northern California. It has five stamens in each flower. Its cultivars range from white to red. The specimens I’ve seen had white flowers.
No comments:
Post a Comment