North Carolina Botanical Garden

Plant Index

Scientific Name:
Common Name:
Genus:
Family:

Rhododendron carolinianum

Rhododendron carolinianum Rehder

carolina rhododendron, carolina azalea, punctatum

Rhododendron carolinianum (Carolina Rhododendron)

Image ID: 27912
Image by: Bridges, Edwin
Image Collection: NCBG Digital Library

PLANT INDEX

ID_PLANT: RHCA14
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rhododendron carolinianum
Include in WOTAS: 0
Publish to Web: 1
Last Modified: 2018-12-17

GENUS INDEX

GENUS CODE: RHODO
GENUS SCIENTIFIC: Rhododendron
GENUS AUTHORITY: L.
GENUS COMMON: Azalea
GENUS SUMMARY: A genus of about 860 species, shrubs and trees, mostly north temperate (centered in Himalayan Asia). Molecular evidence appears to show that Menziesia should be included in Rhododendron, and is actually closely related within Rhododendron to R. vaseyi (Goetsch, Eckert, & Hall 2005; Kurashige et al. 2001); while the urceolate corolla is rather anomalous in Rhododendron, many other characters ally Menziesia with basal clades in Rhododendron s.l.
GENUS IDENTIFICATION: Identification notes: This key makes as much use as possible of vegetative characters, geography, and capsule characters; capsules are generally available for longer during the year than flowers, and even when plants are in flower, last years capsules can often be found.
GENUS REFERENCES: Judd & Kron in FNA (2009); Fabijan in FNA (2009); Kron (1993)=Z; Judd & Kron (1995)=Y; Chamberlain (1982)=X; Cullen (1980)=Q; Davidian (1982)=D; Craven (2011)=U; Duncan & Pullen (1962)=V; Goetsch, Eckert, & Hall (2005); Towe (2004); Kron & Creel (1999); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

FAMILY INDEX

FAMILY CODE: ERICAC
FAMILY SCIENTIFIC: Ericaceae
FAMILY AUTHORITY: A.L. de Jussieu 1789
FAMILY COMMON: Heath Family
FAMILY SUMMARY: A family of about 107-124 genera and 3400-4100 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, which is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape.
FAMILY REFERENCE: Tucker in FNA (2009); Gillespie & Kron (2010, 2013); Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

NCBG DESCRIPTIVES

INTRO:
STEMS:
LEAVES:
INFLORESCENCE:
FLOWERS:
FRUITS:
COMMENTS:
HEIGHT:

DURATION: Perennial
HABIT: Shrub

LEAF ARRANGEMENT: Alternate
LEAF COMPLEXITY: Simple
LEAF RETENTION: Evergreen

FLORAL CHARACTERISTICS
SYMMETRY:
BLOOM TIME: Late Apr-May

Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
			x	x

BLOOM COLOR:

White	Red	Pink	Orange	Yellow	Green	Blue	Lavender	Purple	Violet	Brown	Not Applicable
x		x

FRUITING PERIOD: Sep-Oct.

DISTRIBUTION
HABITAT TYPE:
NATIVE RANGE: NC, SC, TN & GA

HORTICULTURAL
Plant Sale Text:

Bloom Table Text:

NCBG Location:

Cultural Notes:

SOIL MOISTURE:
LIGHT EXPOSURE:
MINIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
MAXIMUM HARDINESS ZONE:
GERMINATION CODE:
WILDLIFE VALUE:
DEER RESISTANCE:

GRIM COLLECTIONS

Coll_id	Project	Collection date	Collector	Action
17	HORT	2014-01-01	Gocke	View

GRIM ACCESSIONS

acc_id	acc_num	acc_dt	coll_id	Action
15	2018-0001	2018-01-03	17	View
6280	1995-1412			View
8718	2006-0414	2006-11-14	0	View
8855	2007-0175	2007-07-19		View

GRIM PLANTINGS

plt_num	acc_id	loc_num	pers_num	inst_dt	Action
16	15	71	Liloia	2017-12-21	View
8935	6280	2	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12113	8855	79	NCBG staff	0000-00-00	View
12432	8718	172	Neal	2020-12-14	View

USDA PLANTS DATABASE

USDA Symbol: RHCA14
USDA Common Name: Carolina Azalea
Native Status: L48 (N)
Distribution: USA (CT, MA, NC, SC, TN)
Duration: Perennial
Growth Habit: Shrub

WEAKLEY FLORA

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Rhododendron carolinianum
COMMON NAME: Carolina Rhododendron, Punctatum
SYNONYMY: [= D, K, S; < R. minus - RAB, W; < R. minus var. minus - FNA, L, Q, V]
PHENOLOGY: Late Apr-May; Sep-Oct.
HABITAT: Rocky summits, heath balds, high elevation forests, moist slopes.
COMMENTS: A Southern Appalachian endemic: w. NC, e. TN, ne. GA, and nw. SC, from the Linville Gorge area (and rarely as far north as Alleghany County, NC) south and west to the Great Smoky Mountains; its precise southern limit uncertain. R. carolinianum is phenologically separated from R. minus, flowering earlier than R. minus, despite its occurrence at higher elevations and with a more northerly distribution. Morphological distinctions between the two taxa are subtle and inconsistent, as discussed by Duncan & Pullen (1962). From a horticultural perspective, Davidian (1982) supports recognition of R. carolinianum and R. minus as distinct. Gensel (1988, and pers.comm.) did detailed studies of the complex and supported the recognition of three taxa (R. carolinianum, R. minus, and R. chapmanii).
RANGE MAP: Rhododendron carolinianum.png

Key to Map Symbols

ABOUT FAMILY (Weakley Flora)
Ericaceae A.L. de Jussieu 1789 (Heath Family)
SUMMARY: A family of about 107-124 genera and 3400-4100 species, primarily shrubs, small trees, and subshrubs, nearly cosmopolitan. The Ericaceae is very important in our area, which is one of the north temperate centers of diversity for the Ericaceae, with a great diversity of genera and species, many of them rather narrowly endemic. Along with Quercus and Pinus, various members of this family are dominant in much of our landscape.
REFERENCE: Tucker in FNA (2009); Gillespie & Kron (2010, 2013); Kron et al. (2002); Wood (1961); Judd & Kron (1993); Kron & Chase (1993); Luteyn et al. (1996)=L; Dorr & Barrie (1993); Cullings & Hileman (1997); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

ABOUT GENUS (Weakley Flora)
Rhododendron L. (Azalea)
SUMMARY: A genus of about 860 species, shrubs and trees, mostly north temperate (centered in Himalayan Asia). Molecular evidence appears to show that Menziesia should be included in Rhododendron, and is actually closely related within Rhododendron to R. vaseyi (Goetsch, Eckert, & Hall 2005; Kurashige et al. 2001); while the urceolate corolla is rather anomalous in Rhododendron, many other characters ally Menziesia with basal clades in Rhododendron s.l.
REFERENCE: Judd & Kron in FNA (2009); Fabijan in FNA (2009); Kron (1993)=Z; Judd & Kron (1995)=Y; Chamberlain (1982)=X; Cullen (1980)=Q; Davidian (1982)=D; Craven (2011)=U; Duncan & Pullen (1962)=V; Goetsch, Eckert, & Hall (2005); Towe (2004); Kron & Creel (1999); Stevens et al. in Kubitzki (2004).

HERBARIUM RESOURCES

SERNEC: Find Rhododendron carolinianum in Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)
UNC SERNEC: Find Rhododendron carolinianum in University of North Carolina Chapel Hill Herbarium - Southeast Regional Network of Experts and Collections (if available)

WEB RESOURCES

USDA: Find Rhododendron carolinianum in USDA Plants
NPIN: Find Rhododendron carolinianum in NPIN Database
FNA: Find Rhododendron carolinianum in the Flora of North America (if available)
Google: Search Google for Rhododendron carolinianum

IMAGE USE RECORDS

ID IMAGE: 27912 - Primary Image FloraQuest Plant Detail Page (Landscape Preferred)
ID IMAGE1: 0 - Primary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE2: 0 - Secondary Image WOTAS
ID IMAGE3: 30203 - Primary Image Plant Sale Sign (Landscape Only)
ID IMAGE4: 0 - Primary Image New Plant Sale Label (Portrait Only)