Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron arborescens
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Sweet Azalea at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
R. arborescens is a member of what the Azalea Society of America refers to as "the white group". Read more here.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron arborescens
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America
Rhododendron arborescens
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-012:
Rhododendron arborescens FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea arborescens
COMMON NAME:
Sweet Azalea, Smooth Azalea
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
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USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_azar_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm0406i_03
June Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Bald
SC's only azalea with white-pink flowers and hairless stems and leaves, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
JK Marlow jkm0406i_03b
June Macon County NC
Nantahala National Forest: Wayah Bald
Flowers typically have red pistils and filaments, and are fragrant, per American Azaleas (Towe, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm220605_8268
June Greenville County SC
Chandler Heritage Preserve
)
JK Marlow jkm220607_8342
June Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
Flowers very sticky-hairy on the outside, the corolla tube longer than the lobes, very fragrant, per How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966).
)
JK Marlow jkm220607_8342b
June Greenville County SC
Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
Sepals 1.5-5mm long, per Weakley's Flora (2022).
)
JK Marlow jkm230609_3909
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm230609_3915
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Leaves elliptic or broadest above the middle, wedge-shaped at base, short-pointed to blunt at tip...
)
JK Marlow jkm230609_3915b
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
...leaf margin fringed with short hairs, thick & firm in texture, dark green & lustrous above..., per How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966).
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron arborescens
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron arborescens
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America
Rhododendron arborescens
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-012:
Rhododendron arborescens
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea arborescens
1217
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Rocky riversides, wooded stream banks, swamps, high elevation forests, shrub balds, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Mountains, uncommon in Piedmont, rare in Coastal Plain
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
White
(rarely pink)
Slightly bilaterally symmetrical
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed funnelform corolla
5 stamens, noticeably shorter than pistil
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- American Azaleas (Towe, 2004) p027
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p254
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p124
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p122
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p220
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p108
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p300
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p171
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p28
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p300
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p290
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".