What are the Most Popular Rhododendrons?
Thursday, January 31st, 2008By Carlo Morelli The first Rhododendron to be classified and named was Rhododendron hirsutum. It was discovered by the 16th century Flemish botanist, Charles l’Ecluse. When it was introduced to Britain in 1656 from the European Alps, Rhododendron hirsutum (the Alpine Rose) was the first species of Rhododendron in cultivation. In 1736, the American natives, Rhododendron canescens, Rhododendron nudiflorum, Rhododendron viscosum, and Rhododendron maximum were imported to England. The most popular rhododendron species is Rhododendron arborescens. Commonly known as the sweet or smooth azalea, Rhododendron arborescens is a native deciduous azalea to the United States. Rhododendron arborescens grows in parts of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama. It is found along streams in the mountains, on treeless balds, and in moist woods; it grows from sea level to 4500′. It is usually a late bloomer, but is variable in flowering time, in some places blooming as early as April and as late as September. It is a hardy plant, able to survive in temperatures as low as -10 degrees Fahrenheit. Rhododendron arborescens grows as a shrub or small tree up to 18′ tall, but usually tops out as a bush-like 10′. Its young twigs are yellow-brown and glabrous (lacking hairs), a good distinguishing characteristic. Its leaves are ovate to obovate (shaped like an egg or like an upside down egg, wider near the tip) or elliptic and usually glabrous; they have rounded tips, lacking a point. The mid vein of the leaf may have a few hairs or be quite densely hairy. The leaf margins are entire (without notching or teeth) and they are fringed with fine hairs (ciliate). Leaves are shiny green above, waxy below and 1 3/4 -3″ long. Plants at high altitudes tend to have noticeably smaller leaves and shorter heights. Occasional plants will have rather glaucous (bluish) leaves. Rhododendron arborescens has fragrant, terminal inflorescences, of 3 to 7 flowers; these appear as or after the leaves have opened and are white or have a blush tint. Each flower is 1-1 3/4″ across and 1 1/2 -2″ long and is tubular-funnel shaped. The 5 stamens and the stigma are bright red and protrude well beyond the petals (about 2 times the length of the corolla tube) and are quite showy. They require Sun to partial shade with moist, well-drained soil. They have White to light pink fragrant flowers often with pinkish to red stamens in late spring (after new leaves have fully expanded), may bloom sporadically all summer, with a strong fragrance. Their foliage is dark green leaves that become bright orange or crimson in the fall. Some distinguishing characteristics of Rhododendron arborescens are: it blooms late, its flowers opening long after the leaves have expanded; the corolla is funnel shaped, white or occasionally pale pink, and the tube is usually longer than the length of the petals. The style is usually bright red and the stamens are often red, too. These structures are quite long, often twice the length of the corolla tube. The flowers have no blotch and are extremely fragrant and spicy, like cinnamon. The leaves and stems are extremely smooth, without any hairs. Visit http://www.onlinetips.org for tips on how to prune rhododendrons and rhododendron diseases. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carlo_Morelli http://EzineArticles.com/?What-are-the-Most-Popular-Rhododendrons?&id=308214 phentermine without prescription free shipping buy phentermine hcl buy phentermine com cheap non prescription phentermine