The open plant encyclopedia
Snap a photo or search by any name to see how to care for it, where it comes from, whether it's safe, and a 3D model you can turn.
The plants people record most in your country, and ones that grow there wild.
Filter by what you want to do, shape, origin, country, care and safety.
Rhododendron catawbiense
Also called Purple Laurel, Catawba Rhododendron, Mountain Rose Bay, Purple Ivy, Purple Rhododendron, Red Laurel, Rosebay
Catawba rosebay is a dense, evergreen shrub native to the southern Appalachians, grown for its violet-purple spring flowers. It needs acidic, well-drained soil and shelter from hot afternoon sun and harsh wind.
Rhododendron catawbiense, with common names Catawba rosebay, Catawba rhododendron, mountain rosebay, purple ivy, purple laurel, purple rhododendron, red laurel, rosebay, rosebay laurel, is a species of Rhododendron native to the eastern United States, growing mainly in the southern Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia south to northern Alabama.
It is a dense, suckering shrub growing to 3 m (9.8 ft) tall, rarely 5 m (16 ft). The leaves are evergreen, 6–12 cm (2.4–4.7 in) long and 2–4 cm (0.79–1.57 in) broad. The flowers are 3–4.5 cm (1.2–1.8 in) in diameter, violet-purple, often with small spots or streaks, blooming from April through June. The fruit is a dry capsule 15–20 mm (19⁄32–25⁄32 in) long, containing numerous small seeds.
Rhododendron catawbiense is cultivated as an ornamental plant in North America and in parts of Europe. It is primarily grown for its spring flower display. Outside of its native range, many cultivars and hybrids have been created.
Rhododendron album · Rhododendron anthopogon · Rhododendron argyrophyllum · Rhododendron augustinii · Rhododendron bureavii · Rhododendron calophytum · Rhododendron calostrotum · Bell Flowered Rhododendron · Bent-style rhododendron · Rhodora · Georgian Snow Rose · Dahurian Rhododendron
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron catawbiense 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.
