Rhododendron yakushimanum
Common name:
Yak Rhododendron
Pronunciation:
rho-do-DEN-dron ya-koo-shee-MAH-num
Family:
Ericaceae
Synonyms:
Rhododendron degronianum ssp. yakushimanum
Type:
Broadleaf
Native to (or naturalized in) Oregon:
No
- Broadleaf evergreen shrub, 1-4 ft (0.3-1.2 m), dense, mounded. Mature leaves 5-10 x 2.5-3 cm, linear-oblanceolate to lanceolate, stiff, leathery, tough, upper surface smooth, glossy dark green, underside has thick woolly brown hair (indumenum), new growth is covered in a white felt. Flowers bell-shaped, 3-4 cm long and 5-6 cm wide, rich rose in the bud changing to light pink then white upon opening, about 10 per cluster.
- - 25°F, early-mid; quality rating: 5/5/4 [flower / plant & foliage / performance; scale 1 (poor) - 5 (best)]. Sun.
- Native to the Yaku-shima Island, Japan, also home to the conifer Cryptomeria japonica, Japanese Cedar.
- Rhododendron yakushimanum is now more commonly classified as a subspecies of Rhododendron degronianum, that is R. degronianum ssp. yakushimanum; other subspecies are R. d. ssp. degronianum and R. d. ssp. heptamerum.
- There are many Yak seedling clones and hybrids, a common one is ‘Ken Janeck’, which is a seedling of R. d. ssp. yakushimanum.
- Oregon State Univ. campus: northeast of Magruder (probably a cultivar).
Click image to enlarge
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plant habit, before flowering
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leaves
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leaves and opening flower buds
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plant habit, flowering
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flowers
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expanding leaves, after flowering
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plant habit, summer
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foliage
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young leaves
