粉杜鹃 Rhododendron periclymenoides

  • Scientific Name: Rhododendron periclymenoides (Michx.) Shinners
  • Ref: Castanea 27:95. 1962
  • Synonym: Rhododendron nudiflorum (L.) Torr.
  • English Common Name: pink azalea, pinxter flower
  • Chinese Common Name: 北美粉杜鹃 Běi Měi fěn∙dùjuān, 粉红映山红 fěnhóng yìngshānhóng
  • Family: Ericaceae
  • Genus: Rhododendron
  • Distribution: Mixed, dry to moist woods, often along streams, thickets, swamps; 0-1000 m; native E US.
  • Photo: 04/04/2013
Shrubs, to 3(-5) m, usually not rhizomatous. Stems: bark smooth to vertically furrowed, shredding; twigs scattered, multicellular eglandular-hairy (hairs unbranched) or such hairs ± absent, otherwise glabrous or sparsely unicellular-hairy. Leaves deciduous; petiole multicellular eglandular-hairy and unicellular-hairy; blade ovate to obovate, 3-9(-12.5) × 1.4-3.8(-5) cm, thin, membranous, margins entire, plane, ciliate, eglandular-hairy, often strikingly so, apex acute to obtuse, often mucronate, abaxial surface often glabrous or, sometimes, sparsely unicellular-hairy, sometimes sparsely eglandular-hairy, adaxial surface sometimes scattered eglandular-hairy, otherwise glabrous or, sometimes, sparsely unicellular-hairy. Floral bud scales usually glabrous abaxially, margins unicellular-ciliate. Inflorescences 6-15-flowered; bracts similar to bud scales. Pedicels 4-19 mm, eglandular-hairy, otherwise glabrous or sparsely unicellular-hairy. Flowers opening before or with leaves, erect to horizontal, slightly fragrant; calyx lobes 0.5-2.5(-4) mm, surfaces and margins scattered, eglandular- and/or, rarely, stipitate-glandular-hairy, otherwise glabrous or moderately unicellular-hairy; corolla deep pink to white with pink tube, without blotch on upper lobe, funnelform, 23-45 mm, scattered, multicellular eglandular-hairy and/or, less commonly, multicellular stipitate-glandular-hairy (hairs not forming distinct lines), otherwise sparsely to moderately unicellular-hairy on outer surface, petals connate, lobes 9-25 mm, tube usually gradually expanded into lobes, 12-27 mm (equaling or longer than lobes); stamens 5, much exserted, ± unequal, 32-68 mm. Capsules borne on erect pedicels, 10-30 × 3-6.5 mm, eglandular- hairy, otherwise glabrous or sparsely unicellular-hairy. Seeds without distinct tails; testa rather close, but ± loose. 2n = 26. (FNA)

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