Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron viscosum var. viscosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Swamp Azalea at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
R. viscosum is a member of what the Azalea Society of America refers to as "the white group". Read more here.
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron viscosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rhododendron viscosum
INCLUDED WITHIN Flora of North America
Rhododendron viscosum
INCLUDING Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas (Correll & Johnston, 1970)
Rhododendron oblongifolium
INCLUDED WITHIN VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-011a:
Rhododendron viscosum var. viscosum FAMILY Ericaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea viscosa
COMMON NAME:
Swamp Azalea, Clammy Azalea, Swamp Honeysuckle, Catchfly Azalea
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_azvi_001_lvd
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / USDA Wetland flora: Field office illustrated guide pnd_rhvi2_002_lvd
)
Will Stuart wil_rviscosum_0526_001
May Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Fragrant. Pistil & filaments typically white [vs. R. arborescens' red pistil], per American Azaleas (Towe, 2004).
)
Will Stuart wil_rviscosum_0526_005
May Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Fragrance is such that you may often smell Swamp Azalea before you see it, per Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011).
)
Will Stuart wil_rviscosum_0526_005b
May Richmond County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Sticky, glandular tube hairs easily catch flying insects, per American Azaleas (Towe, 2004).
)
Ron Lance rwl1234_a
June
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Stephanie C. Brundage scb_060521hayesville14
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_060521hayesville15
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
Leaf shape varies from small and narrow to large and rounded, per American Azaleas (Towe, 2004).
)
Stephanie C. Brundage scb_060521hayesville20
June Clay County NC
Clay County Native Botanical Garden
)
Will Stuart wil_r_viscosum_3931
December Scotland NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Last summer's growth emerging from the point of the spring blossoms. — Will Stuart
)
Will Stuart wil_r_viscosum_3977
December Scotland NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
)
Will Stuart wil_r_viscosum_3981
December Scotland NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Winter buds showing large flower buds and smaller vegetative buds. — Will Stuart
)
Will Stuart wil_r_viscosum_3989
December Scotland NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Flower and vegetative bud detai. — Will Stuart
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron viscosum var. viscosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron viscosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Floristic Synthesis of North America. BONAP (Kartesz, 2021)
Rhododendron viscosum
INCLUDED WITHIN
Flora of North America
Rhododendron viscosum
INCLUDING
Manual of the Vascular Plants of Texas (Correll & Johnston, 1970)
Rhododendron oblongifolium
INCLUDED WITHIN
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-011a:
Rhododendron viscosum var. viscosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
INCLUDED WITHIN
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea viscosa
1234
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Moist streambanks, shrub balds, and other moist habitats, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Piedmont & in Carolina Mountains (uncommon to rare elsewhere in GA-NC-SC)
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:
Summer
White
(rarely pink)
Bisexual
Slightly bilaterally symmetrical
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed funnelform corolla
5 stamens, noticeably shorter than pistil
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- American Azaleas (Towe, 2004) p028
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p132
- Gardening with Native Plants of the South (Wasowski & Wasowski, 1994, 2020) p085
- Gardening with the Native Plants of Tennessee (Hunter, 2002) p256
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p310
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p107
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p300
- Field Guide to the Rare Plants of Georgia (Chafin, 2007) p297
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p118
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p178
- Field Guide to the Wildflowers of Georgia (Chafin, 2016) p171
- Wildflowers of Tennessee (Carman, 2005) p101
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p305
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p290
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p171