Rhododendron

For other uses, see Rhododendron (disambiguation).

Rhododendron
Temporal range: 52–0 Ma Ypresian - present[1]
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Subfamily: Ericoideae
Tribe: Rhodoreae
Genus: Rhododendron
L.[2]
Type species
Rhododendron ferrugineum
Subgenera[3]

Former subgenera:

Synonyms[4]
List
    • Anthodendron Rchb.
    • Azaleastrum Rydb.
    • × Azaleodendron Rodigas
    • Biltia Small
    • Candollea Baumg.
    • Chamaecistus Regel
    • Chamaerhododendron Bubani
    • Chamaerhododendros Duhamel
    • Diplarche Hook.f. & Thomson
    • Dulia Adans.
    • Haustrum Noronha
    • Hochenwartia Crantz
    • Hymenanthes Blume
    • Iposues Raf.
    • × Ledodendron F.de Vos
    • Ledum Ruppius ex L.
    • Loiseleria Rchb.
    • Menziesia Sm.
    • Osmothamnus DC.
    • Plinthocroma Dulac
    • × Rhodazalea Anon.
    • Rhodora L.
    • Rhodothamnus Lindl. & Paxton
    • Stemotis Raf.
    • Theis Salisb. ex DC.
    • Therorhodion Small
    • Tsusiophyllum Maxim.
    • Vireya Blume
    • Waldemaria Klotzsch

Rhododendron (/ˌroʊdəˈdɛndrən/; pl.: rhododendra) is a very large genus of about 1,024 species of woody plants and 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.[5]

It is the national flower of Nepal, the state flower of Washington and West Virginia in the United States, the state flower of Nagaland and Himachal Pradesh in India, the provincial flower of Jeju Province in South Korea, the provincial flower of Jiangxi in China and the state tree of Sikkim and Uttarakhand in India. Most species have brightly colored flowers which bloom from late winter through to early summer.[6]

Azaleas make up two subgenera of Rhododendron. They are distinguished from "true" rhododendrons by having only five anthers per flower.

  1. ^ Dillhoff, R. M.; Leopold, E. B.; Manchester, S. R. (2005). "The McAbee flora of British Columbia and its relations to the Early-Middle Eocene Okanagan Highlands flora of the Pacific Northwest" (PDF). Canadian Journal of Earth Sciences. 42 (2): 151–166. Bibcode:2005CaJES..42..151D. doi:10.1139/e04-084. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022.
  2. ^ Linnaeus, C. (1753). "Rhododendron". Species Plantarum. Vol. Tomus I. Stockholm: Laurentii Salvii. p. 392. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
  3. ^ Goetsch, Eckert & Hall (2005).
  4. ^ "Rhododendron L." Plants of the World Online. Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
  5. ^ Shrestha N, et al. (2018). "Global patterns of Rhododendron diversity: The role of evolutionary time and diversification rates". Global Ecology & Biogeography. 27 (8): 913–924. Bibcode:2018GloEB..27..913S. doi:10.1111/geb.12750. hdl:10852/67628. S2CID 92383323.
  6. ^ Turner, R.J. Jr. & Wasson, Ernie, eds. (1997). Botanica: The Illustrated A-Z of Over 10,000 Garden Plants and How to Cultivate Them. p. 742.