Download Rhododendron prunifolium - Wildlife Resources Division

Rhododendron prunifolium (Small) Millais
Plumleaf Azalea, Red Honeysuckle
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Heath Family, ERICACEAEE
LEGAL STATUS:
State: THREATENED
Federal: None
SYNONYMY:
Azalea prunifolia Small
RANGE: Drainage of lower Chattahoochee River in
southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia.
Recorded from seven counties in Georgia (see map).
ILLUSTRATION: Flowering branch, showing leaves
fringed with tiny hairs and coarsely veined like a plum
leaf, 1x. Source: original drawing by Vicky Holifield.
DESCRIPTION: Deciduous shrub. This species is one of
the showiest of the native azaleas, usually 2-3 m (rarely to
5 m) tall. The leaves are alternate in tight clusters, 2.5-8.0
cm long and 1-3 cm wide, elliptic to obovate, dark green
above, lighter beneath, and smooth except for the small
hairs on the margins. The flower bud scales are chestnut
brown, smooth on their backs, and fringed on the margins
with short, slender hairs. The odorless flowers are in
terminal clusters of 4-7, with the outer flowers opening
first. The five petals are yellow-orange to deep red, with a
From: Patrick, Allison and Krakow (1995), Protected Plants of Georgia, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
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Rhododendron prunifolium (Small) Millais
tube 2.4-3.1 cm long, and shorter lobes, 1-2 cm long. Both
knob-tipped and ordinary hairs are found on the petals.
The stamens are long (6.5-8.5 cm) and project well beyond
the petals. The fruit is an ovate-cylindric capsule, 1.7-2.2
cm long, 0.5-0.7 cm wide, densely covered with long and
short, slender hairs (without swollen tips). Flowering
period: July to August, sporadically later in the season;
fruiting period: August to November. Best search time:
during flowering; the reddish flowers are diagnostic and
make the plants conspicuous.
Edinburgh Journal of Botany 50:249-264.
Small, J. K. 1933. Manual of the Southeastern Flora. 1972 Reprint
Edition. Hafner Publishing Company, New York. 1554 pp.
HABITAT: Found in moist soils of rich hardwood
ravines.
SPECIAL IDENTIFICATION FEATURES: Plumleaf
azalea blooms later and has less hairy leaves than any
other orange- to red-flowered native azalea. Within its
restricted range (see map), it occasionally flowers with
Rhododendron arborescens, a sweetly fragrant,
white-flowered species. The fruit of R. arborescens has
long, knob-tipped hairs and short, ordinary hairs. In
contrast, the fruit of R. prunifolium has both long and
short, slender-tipped hairs.
MANAGEMENT RECOMMENDATIONS: Avoid
disturbance. At most this species will tolerate only hand
thinning of trees in its immediate vicinity, and only if done
carefully. Of horticultural interest: protect from removal
by irresponsible persons.
REMARKS: Roland Harper made the first collection of
this species in 1903, near Cuthbert (Randolph County).
Eugene A. Smith collected it almost simultaneously in
Barbour County, Alabama, near Baker Hill. It has since
been found at about 35 locations in Georgia and about 13
in Alabama. This species, though not the easiest to grow,
is a cherished landscaping plant to enthusiasts of native
azaleas because it produces its strongly colored flowers at
a time when few, if any, other azaleas are in bloom.
Callaway Gardens, which contains extensive plantings of
this striking species, features it in its logo. The finest
natural display of this species is found within Providence
Canyon State Park, where over a thousand plants produce
an impressive display in July and August. Rhododendron
prunifolium is rare throughout its limited range.
SELECTED REFERENCES
Dirr, M. A. 1990. Manual of Woody Landscape Plants. Fourth
Edition. Stipes Publishing Company, Champaign, Illinois. 1007
pp.
Galle, F. C. 1967. Native and some introduced azaleas of southern
gardens: kinds and cultures. American Horticulture Magazine
46(1):13-24.
Galle, F. C. 1985. Azaleas. Timber Press, Portland, Oregon. 486 pp.
Godfrey, R. K. 1988. Trees, Shrubs, and Woody Vines of Northern
Florida and Adjacent Georgia and Alabama. University of
Georgia Press, Athens. 734 pp.
Kron, K. A. 1993. A revision of Rhododendron section Pentanthera.
From: Patrick, Allison and Krakow (1995), Protected Plants of Georgia, Georgia Department of Natural Resources