Yellow Azalea

Appearance

It is a shrub growing 3–4 m. The leaves are deciduous, 5–10 cm long and 2–4 cm broad. The flowers are 3–4 cm in diameter, bright yellow, and strongly perfumed, produced in trusses of 5-25 together. The fruit is a dry capsule 15–25 mm long, containing numerous small seeds.

Despite the sweet perfume of the flowers, the nectar is toxic, containing grayanotoxin; records of poisoning of people eating the honey date back to the 4th century BC in Classical Greece.

Uses

It is widely cultivated in western Europe, used both as an ornamental plant in its own right, and as a rootstock onto which other azalea cultivars are grafted. It is locally naturalised in western and northern Europe. In Great Britain it has colonised many wet heaths and bogs, but unlike its relative "Rhododendron ponticum" it does not usually form dominant stands and so is of lower nature conservation concern. However it is listed under Schedule 9 of the UK Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as a non-native invasive species. While it is legal to sell and grow it in gardens, users are expected to take care when disposing of material from this plant.

"R. luteum" has gained the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit.

Cultural

The plant is depicted instead of the crown above the coat of arms of the Local Community of Boštanj. It has been chosen because the area is one of the rare growing places of "Rhododendron luteum" in Slovenia. The coat of arms was created in 1998 by the artist Rudi Stopar.