186 American Midland Naturalist Monograph No. 4 



pods, flattened-globose, deeply 5-Iobed, splitting at the partitions into 5 

 sections. 



Occurrence. — OLYMPIC, occasional: Deer Lake; Mount Baldy. 



Rhododendron, Azalea (Rhododendron L.). 



Rhododendron is from the Greek rhodon (rose) and dendron (tree) . The 

 flowers of all the species are large and conspicuous, with irregularly 5-lobed 

 corollas. The thin-leaved azaleas are poisonous to livestock and the evergreen 

 tough-leaved coastal species reported to be poisonous. ^9. Honey made from 

 the blossoms has the reputation of producing a purgative and emetic effect. 



Field Guide to the Species 



Evergreen shrubs; leaves thick and leathery, glossy-green above; flowers rose-pink; 



occurs only in Olympic National Park 1. R. macroph'^llum. 



Shrubs not evergreen; leaves thinnish, not glossy above; flowers white or light pink. 



Flowers l'/2 to 2 inches long, white or pink, the upper lobe of corolla with 



yellow splotch; occurs m Yosemite National park 2. R. occidentale. 



Flowers )/2 to I inch long, white or cream, the center greenish ; occurs in parks 



of the Northwest 3. R. albiflorum. 



1. Coast Rhododendron, California Rose-bay (Rhododendron 

 macrophyllum Don.). — Erect evergreen shrub 4 to 8 feet high; leaves 3 to 6 

 inches long, oblong to elliptic; pointed at the tip, thick and leathery, shiny 

 green above, paler or rusty below; flowers rose-pink, broadly funnel-shaped, 

 about 1 to 1^2 inches long, irregularly 5-lobed, the upper lobe greenish-dotted 

 on the inside; capsule ovoid, splitting into 5 sections. (Syn. R. californicum 

 Hook.) 



Coast rhododendron is the most showy of the rhododendrons with its large, 



shiny, evergreen leaves and large rose-pink flowers clustered at the ends of 



the stems. It is often planted as an ornamental. This is a common species 



in the Pacific Coast forests, mostly at the lower elevations near the coast. 



Occurrence. — OLYMPIC, rare in the park: Elwha River Valley on northwest side of 

 Mount Norton, 3,600 feet; trail to Constance Ridge. 



2. Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale (T. SC G.) Gray). — 

 Handsome, widely-branched shrub 2 to 10 (or 14) feet high; leaves thinnish, 

 1 to 4 inches long, oval to reverse-egg-shaped, tapering to the base and usually 

 short-pointed at the tip, thinly hairy, tending to be bunched towards the ends 

 of the branchlets; flowers white or pinkish, with a yellow splotch on the upper 

 corolla-lobe, 1 1/2 to 2 inches long, funnel-shaped, divided into 5 slightly 

 irregular lobes, borne in clusters of several at the ends of the branches; fruits 

 dry pods, ^2 to % inch long, splitting into 5 sections, many-seeded. 



Western azalea is a beautiful shrub found along stream banks or in 

 wooded canyons in Yosemite National Park. The large, fragrant flowers 



39 Range Plant Handbook B 128: United Stales Department of Agriculture, 

 Forest Service. 1937. 



