Introduction
Rhododendron flammeum
(synonymous with R. speciosum) is a southern native azalea
commonly referred to as the Oconee Azalea. Its blossoms are approximately 1.2 to to
1.8 inches across and come is shades of yellowish orange, through orange to deep red.
This species can be distinguished from the earlier blooming
R. austrinum
in that the flowers usually have a blotch, they are not fragrant, nor do they have
sticky glandular hairs on the corolla tube.
Exact date of discovery for R. flammeum is not known, but
plants of this species were first described by Aiton at Kew Gardens in 1789 and
were probably sent there by William Bartram prior to that date. This species
is a heat tolerant shrub of the Piedmont region of Georgia and South
Carolina, and holds much breeding potential where hot summer stress
is a problem.
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Distribution Map
Plants in the Wild
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Variations in Flower Form
Acknowledgement:
The images presented here are reproduced with permission from
color slides taken by the Species Study Group
of the Middle Atlantic Chapter of the American Rhododendron Society.
The slides are numbered, and correspond to the sequence used in the
program Eastern Native Azalea Species
presented by George K. McLellan at the East Coast Regional Conference
of the ARS in November 1999.
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