Native Azalea Identification
By Ron Lance, Nursery Manager
Native deciduous azaleas continue to be in high demand for the nursery and landscaping industries. Of the 14 species of azaleas (all in the genus Rhododendron) native to the southeastern U.S., the 5 favorites for the Carolina mountain areas seem to be Flame (R. calendulaceum), Cumberland (R. cumberlandense), Pinkshell (R. vaseyi), Pinxter-bloom (R. periclymenoides), and Sweet azaleas (R. arborescens). These hardy plants can be used in a variety of soil moisture conditions to provide those yellow, orange, red, pink, or white flower tones which are so popular in the shrub garden or forest understory plantings.
The appearance of blooms for these plants may span April to August, depending on the species and elevation where they are grown. For an idea of colors and affiliated traits, see the chart below. Of course, there are cultivar selections and hybrids of these plants which offer unusual flower colors beyond the norm, if you can locate them from growers.
Azalea species Bloom color Bloom time Fragrant? Soil tolerance
Flame yellow to red May-June no moist to dry
Cumberland orange to red June-July no moist
Pinkshell pink May no moist to wet
Pinxter-bloom white to pink April-May yes moist to dry
Sweet white May-August yes moist to wet
If you are looking at these plants in winter, and having trouble deciding which is which, try the following chart; it may help MOST OF THE TIME (never ALL the time, because of natural variation in sources and vigor of these plants).
Azalea species Twigs Flower bud scales Peculiar traits
Flame red-brown, hairy greenish, dark-margined sepals 2-4mm long
Cumberland gray-brown, greenish or brown, sepals 1-2mm long
slightly hairy dark-margined
Pinkshell grayish, hairless greenish to reddish, 2nd-year stem bark is
buds egg-shaped, lower shreddy
scales missing
Pinxter brownish, nearly green and reddish capsules <5mm wide,
hairless with a few stiff hairs
Sweet brown, hairless greenish, red-margined capsules with gland-
tipped hairs
Keep your eye on Carolina Native Nursery for availability of all these azaleas!