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Common Name: Purple Laurel or Rhododendron
Scientific Name: Rhododendron catawbiense
Family: Ericaceae
Blue Ridge Parkway
North Carolina
June 1, 2002
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A handsome, often cultivated, shrub or small tree with darker, rose-lavender flowers and leaves, mostly 3 - 6 inches long, generally shorter than in the preceding species. Frequent, often in large stands, on the higher rocky slopes, ridges, and balds in our mountains and piedmont; their general range is the Appalachian region. April - June [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
The name translates as "rose-tree", and no other plant lends itself to shaping the character and beauty of the mountain landscape as does the group known as rhododendron. Several species grace the Parkway scenery with large flower clusters and evergreen leaves. Without a doubt the most visible is the one known as great laurel. The great laurel or rosebay (R. maximum) is found mostly at elevations below 3,000 feet. It grows to a height of 35 feet, and its interlocking branches often form impassable thickets. Its pinkish white, cup-like flowers appear in large clusters during June and July, and its large, leather, oblong, evergreen leaves, which terminate in sharp angles at both ends, add year-round color to the mountain landscape. Mountain rosebay or purple laurel (R. catawbiense) is normally found at elevations above 3,000 feet, and its deep-pink to purplish flowers appear from April to June. Its leaves are smaller than those of the great laurel and are rounded at both ends. This species rarely reaches a height of more than 12 feet and is found on rocky slopes, ridges, and balds. A third species, the Carolina rhododendron (R. minus), is similar to the great laurel but has thinner leaves that are heavily spotted with brown below. It is usually found along streams and on wooded slopes. April - July [Alderman, J. Anthony, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1997]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z