Rhododendron sp. - Rhododendron vaseyi??

I thought these were pinxter flowers (Rhododendron periclymenoides), but now am wondering if they could be Rhododendron prinophyllum, instead. Or else, some other Rhododendron species. **TENTATIVE ID - Rhododendron vaseyi**

Habitat: Bog

comments (7)

Ferdy Christant

Lion

Plantnet gives a strong (66%) match on Rhododendron vaseyi. Just passing it on, not sure if conclusive. Posted 3 years ago
1. Christine Young
  
  Lion
  
  Thanks for checking! That looks like a really good match. My only concern is that it is apparently endemic to the Appalachian highlands of North Carolina. Posted 3 years ago
2. 1. Ferdy Christant
    
    Lion
    
    Hmmm, in that case may be good to double-check with an expert. Posted 3 years ago
  2. 1. Christine Young
      
      Lion
      
      I shared it on iNat, but haven't gotten any suggestions so far. I may try a FB group next. Posted 3 years ago
    2. 1. Ferdy Christant
        
        Lion
        
        You can also go for the tentative ID with a note, if you prefer. I will leave it to you. Posted 3 years ago
      2. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Okay, thanks...I'm going to leave it unidentified for now because I am not at all confident about any of the species IDs. ;P Posted 3 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        Actually, I've changed my mind...I just remembered something that I recently learned. The place where I took these photos -- I thought it was completely a "native plant" trust/habitat, but it turns out they they had planted a lot of non-native species in the past when they were an extension of a botanical garden. Apparently, they are currently in the process of relocating the non-native plants. So...this could be Rhododendron vaseyi that was planted. I'll ID it tentaively as such. Posted 3 years ago

The Pinkshell Azalea

''Rhododendron vaseyi'' is a species of flowering plant in the heath family known by the common name pinkshell azalea. It is endemic to the Appalachian highlands of North Carolina in widely scattered locations. While there is a main center of distribution west of Asheville, there is also a large population on Grandfather Mountain, in the northwestern corner of the state.

Info 2 0

Similar species: Ericales

Species identified by Christine Young