- Rhododendron catawbiense
Taxobox
name = "Rhododendron catawbiense"
image_width = 240px
image_caption = "Rhododendron catawbiense" growing wild on Mount Mitchell,North Carolina
regnum =Plantae
divisio = Magnoliophyta
classis =Magnoliopsida
ordo =Ericales
familia =Ericaceae
genus = "Rhododendron "
subgenus = "Hymenanthes"
subsectio = "Pontica"
species = "R. catawbiense"
binomial = "Rhododendron catawbiense"
binomial_authority = Michx."Rhododendron catawbiense" (Catawba Rhododendron) is a species of "
Rhododendron " native to the easternUnited States , growing mainly in theAppalachian Mountains fromVirginia south to northernAlabama .It is a dense, suckering
shrub growing to 3 m tall, rarely 5 m. The leaves areevergreen , 6-12 cm long and 2-4 cm broad. Theflower s are 3-4.5 cm diameter, violet-purple, often with small spots or streaks. Thefruit is a dry capsule 15-20 mm long, containing numerous smallseed s.The species is named after the Catawba tribe of Native Americans.
Classification
Section Ponticum, subsection Pontica
Cultivation and uses
It is a popular
ornamental plant , both in North America and also inEurope , grown for its spring flower display. Outside of its native range, it is naturalized locally north toMassachusetts .It is very closely related to (and very difficult to distinguish from) the
Europe an species "Rhododendron ponticum ", and hybridizes readily with it in cultivation; the hybrid is invasive in parts of northeasternScotland in areas too cold for typical "R. ponticum" to thrive (Milne & Abbott 2000); the presence of this hybrid was only determined by genetic analysis.References
* [http://www.rhododendron.org/index.htm American Rhododendron Society]
* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?5025 Germplasm Resources Information Network: "Rhododendron catawbiense"]
* [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=RHCA8 USDA Plants Profile: "Rhododendron catawbiense"]
*Milne, R. I., & Abbott, R. J. (2000). Origin and evolution of invasive naturalized material of Rhododendron ponticum L. in the British Isles. "Molecular Ecology" 9: 541-556 [http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00906.x Abstract] .
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