Dahurian Rhododendron is a compact, semi-evergreen shrub from Siberia, northern China and Japan that flowers in late winter or early spring before its leaves appear. It needs a sheltered spot in dappled shade and acid, leaf-mould-enriched soil.
Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep the soil evenly moist and never waterlogged, using rainwater or soft water where possible.
Soil
Acidic, humus-rich soil enriched with leaf mould.
Temperature
Hardy to about -20 °C; protect young plants from cold winds and late frosts.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: All parts contain grayanotoxin-type compounds and related monoterpenoids such as daurichromenic acid, which can cause nausea, vomiting and other poisoning symptoms if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
Siberia to N. China and Korea, N. Japan
Climate
temperate
About
Rhododendron dauricum is a species of flowering plant in the heath family Ericaceae native to forests and forest margins in Eastern Siberia, Mongolia, North China and Hokkaido, Japan. The Latin specific epithet dauricum means "from Siberia" – Transbaikal is also known as Dauria.
How to grow it
R. dauricum is the basis of the PJM hybrid (Rhododendron dauricum × Rhododendron carolinianum).
The cultivar 'Mid-winter', with bright pink flowers, has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. It is hardy down to −20 °C (−4 °F), but like all rhododendrons requires a sheltered position in dappled shade and acid soil enriched with leaf mould.
Safety
R. dauricum contains monoterpenoids daurichromenic acid (DCA) and confluentin (decarboxylated DCA) as well as rhododaurichromenic acids A and B which are structurally related to cannabichromene.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron dauricum 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.