identifying Rhodes

[sally pearce]

My late fathers passion was Rhodedendrons. The labels on most of hi

plants are lost or illegible. Does anyone know a really good book t identify them from pictures

-- sally pearce

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , sally pearce writes

The RHS Plant Finder (online version) has 3829 records for the genus Rhododendron (including 767 for Azalea). On the one hand this will include some synonyms, but on the other hand there will be Rhododendrons that exist, but aren't present in Plant Finder. (Elsewhere on the RHS web site I find a reference to 850 species and 25,000 cultivars.)

Given that your father's passion was Rhododendrons then it's at least possible that he collected some of the less well known forms. Consequently it's unlikely that you would find a book illustrating them all, and even if you did you may not be able to distinguish them from the pictures. (I've got photographs of probably nearer 300 than 200 forms of Rhododendron; I can't tell them all part.)

Did he have records of what he has? If you have a list of names it would be easier to associate names with plants. You could even Google for images, rather than look for a book.

Also, try

you mention what type of Rhododendrons he grew - large-flowered hybrids? "alpine" rhododendron? Azaleas? someone may be able to offer a more focused reference.

[William Wagner]

Steward a question.

Years ago I saw a rhododendron with very simple flower. Was red and about half the size of our tree peonies. This was in a formal garden on South Carolina USA. We were tired and left with no identification.

Regretted not able to follow up and it sort of haunts me still. 20 years latter. I guess the question is what rhododendron has simple large flowers.

Fingers crossed for a hint!

Thanks

Bill

[Stewart Robert Hinsley]

In message , William Wagner writes

You don't say whether the flower or the plant was half the size of the tree paeonies, whether the flowers were crimson or scarlet or RGB red or some other shade, and what you mean by a very simple flower.

Being the Rhododendron photographing season, I can cite a few red-flowered rhododendrons off the top of my head - barbatum, fulgens, mallotum, thomsonii, some forms of arboreum, 'May Day', 'Elizabeth', 'Rubicon', 'Taurus', 'W.F.H.', 'Brittania', 'Ascot Brilliant', 'Scarlet Wonder', 'Bengal', 'Baden-Baden', 'Choremia', 'Fire Tail', probably 'Fire Bird', 'Lord Roberts', 'Mars', 'Matador', 'Portia', 'Russellianum', 'Souvenir of Dr. S. Endtz', 'The Hon. Jean Marie de Montague' and whatever I've missed. That's not including assorted deciduous azaleas, dwarfs such as 'Nico' and deep pinks which you might consider red.

There's no doubt many red rhododendrons that I've never seen (at least with labels). For example I've never seen a labelled specimen of Rhododendron catawbiense, but I find that it has a red-flowered cultivar

- 'Nova Zembla'. That's a plant which might well be found in a South Carolina garden.

Rhododendron thomsonii has shorter stamens and style, is less zygomorphic than many species, and lacks the markings that many Rhododendrons have on their upper petals, so this might count as a simple flower.