WESTERN A2ALEA (Rhododendron occidentdle, Gray). Flow- 

 ers showy, 2 to 3 inches long, white or pinkish, funnel-form 

 with spreading lobes one of which bears a yellow stripe or 

 blotch; stamens and pistil long exserted; borne in umbels at 

 the branch ends, fragrant but sticky. Leaves deciduous, 

 bright-green, 2 to 4 inches long, clustered at the branch ends. 



The Western Azalea is frequent along streams in the moun- 

 tains throughout California and northward to Oregon, where, 

 like the far eastern cousin of Atlantic woodlands which it 

 resembles, it often goes by the inaccurate name W T ild Honey- 

 suckle. The flowers open in early June, but are usually gone 

 by the last of July. The bushes are from 2 to 10 feet high, 

 and the luxuriant flower masses, almost hiding the foliage, 

 make a scene of all but tropical magnificence extending some 

 times for miles along the mountain waters. Visitors in early 

 summer to the Yosemite region find in such fragrant Azalea 

 thickets one of the lasting pleasures of that wild world. 



While the Azalea is classed in the genus Rhododendron by 

 most botanical writers, there are some who prefer to consider 

 it as a separate genus. The botanic distinctions, however, are 

 hard to establish, in spite of a difference in general aspect that 

 is noticeable. 



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