ERICACEAE 287 



Azalea nudiflora, L. (Common Honeysuckle) (Including pro- 

 visionally A. caiicscois ^Ix. and Rhododendron roseitni and 

 R. Alabanicnsc Rehder, which might be satisfactorily distin- 

 guished if one had sufficient opportunity to study them.) 



A familiar shrub, very showy when covered with ])inkish 

 flowers in ]\Iarch and April, just before the leaves unfold. The 

 flowers vary from white to red or even orange, but the ])ink form 

 is by far the most abundant. The white form ( which has a large 

 yellow spot on the inside of the flower, on the upper side, and 

 blooms a little later) seems to prevail in the plateau region, and 

 it was referred by Dr. Mohr to var. alba Pursh. and by Rehder 

 made the type of a new species, Rliododcndron Alahainensc. The 

 size of the plant seems to depend largely on the frequency of fire. 

 In pine woods, which are burned every year or two, it may bloom 

 when knee-high, while in protected shady places it may grow six 

 feet tall, or more. It is gathered in large quantities by vandals 

 when in bloom, like the dogwood, and is said to be occasionally 

 cultivated for ornament. 



Grows in dry or rich woods. Widely distributed over the 

 state, but inconspicuous when not in bloom, so that it is not easy to 

 map its range accurately. About two-thirds of my records for it 

 are dated April, so that my data on its distribution depend largely 

 on what places I happened to visit in that month, and it may be 

 just as common in some counties that I have visited only in sum- 

 mer, fall or winter. It is evidently rare or absent in calcareous 

 and alluvial regions, though, like most other members of this fam- 

 ily. 



lA. Lauderdale and Limestone Counties. 



IC. On and near Little Mountain, Colbert and Lawrence Counties. 



2A. Lawrence, Winston, Marshall and Blount Counties (mostly the 

 white form). Cullman County (Wolf, R. Ahbamense) . 



2B. Jefferson and Tuscaloosa Counties. (Mostly the pink, but the 

 white form occurs in both counties too.) 



3. Talladega, Shelby, Jefferson and Bibb Counties. 



4. Calhoun, Clay and Coosa Counties. 



5. Common throughout. 



6A. Tuscaloosa, Hale, Bibb, Chilton, Autauga, and doubtless in all 

 the other counties. 



6B. Tuscaloosa and Chilton Counties. 

 6C. Hale, Perry and Macon Counties. 



8. Montgomery and Pike Counties. 



9. Sumter County. 



lOE. Pike and Covington Counties. 



