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Rhododendron calendulaceum
Flame azalea is a deciduous shrub native to the Appalachian Mountains, prized for its bright orange, yellow or red spring flowers. It grows best in dappled light with acidic, well-drained soil and is grown in many cultivars and hybrids.
Rhododendron calendulaceum, the flame azalea, is a species of Rhododendron. It is a deciduous shrub that grows up to 120–450 cm tall. This species of Rhododendron is native to the Appalachian Mountains in the eastern United States, ranging from southern Pennsylvania and Ohio to northern Georgia. It may be extirpated from Pennsylvania and Alabama. It occurs naturally in mixed deciduous forests and is typically found in woodland slopes and mountain balds in the Appalachians, where it prefers dry and rocky mountain woods. The inflorescences of Rhododendron calendulaceum are visited by many animals such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and small mammals. It is a popular cultivated plant due to its bright yellow, orange or red flowers.
The flame azalea is a popular cultivated plant, primarily due to its showy flowers. Many cultivars and domestic varieties exist, including Chattooga, Cherokee, Golden Sunset Flame, Golden Yellow Flame, Smokey Mountaineer and Wahsega. It is also an important parent species in hybrid Azaleas, such as Ghent, Knap Hill, Maid in the Shade, Mollis and Northern Lights.
The inflorescences of Rhododendron calendulaceum are visited by a diverse group of animals such as bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and small mammals. The flowers can only be pollinated by the wings of butterflies. Only Papilio glaucus and Speyeria cybele have been observed pollinating the flowers. P. glaucus is more effective in pollination due to differences in wing flapping behavior. Rhododendron calendulaceum is a host of the fungus Exobasidium vaccinii. E. vaccinii negatively affects the reproduction and health of the flowers and branches of Rhododendron calendulaceum. The insect Rhinocapsus vanduzeei is known to feed on the stamens of Rhododendron calendulaceum flowers. Rhododendron calendulaceum is a host plant for the larvae of Euura lipovskyi.
Rhododendron aberconwayi · Sagan Dalya · Rhododendron adenogynum · Rhododendron adenosum · Rhododendron aganniphum · Cascade azalea · Rhododendron albrechtii · Rhododendron album · Rhododendron alutaceum · Rhododendron annae · Rhododendron anthopogon · Rhododendron araiophyllum
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron calendulaceum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.
