Rhododendron hodgsonii
Common name:
Hodgson Rhododendron
Pronunciation:
ro-do-DEN-dron hoj-SON-ee-i
Family:
Ericaceae
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Broadleaf evergreen shrub or small tree, about 5 ft (1.5 m) in 10 years, may later reach 20 ft (~3 m); peeling and flaking bark. Leaves simple, alternate, large, 15-30 cm long, 7.5-10 cm wide, slightly obovate, apex rounded, tapering at base, very leathery, dark green and glossy above, primary veins deeply impressed, lower surface covered with brownish-red to silvery-white, indumentum (hair covering), thick petiole 2-5 cm long. Flowers in usually compact clusters, 12-20 flowers which are somewhat tubular, about 3-6 cm long, several colors, e.g., crimson, crimson-purple, wine, magenta, rose, deep pink, lilac, 15-18 unequal stamens, shorter than the petals.
- 10°F, early-mid, quality rating 3-4/4/2-3 [flower / plant & foliage / performance; scale 1 (poor) - 5 (best)]. Part shade.
- Native range from Nepal to Sikkim and Bhutan; discovered in 1838 in Nepal by Griffith; J. D. Hooker first introduced it to commerce from Sikkim in 1850.
- hodgsonii: after B. H. Hodgson, English civil servant and a former East Indian Company resident in Nepal
- Federal Way, Washington: Rhododendron Species and Botanical Garden
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit, flowering
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flower cluster
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leaf
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bark
