Catawba Rosebay, Purple Rhododendron, Red Laurel, Catawba Rhododendron, Mountain Rosebay (Rhododendron catawbiense Michx.)

I was about a week too early for these beautiful flowers. I did catch one or two blooming, but they grow like weeds in Big South Fork. In another week the woods will be covered in the blooms from this plant and also Mountain Laurel.

Ericaceae (Heath Family)

USDA Native Status: Native to U.S.

A mound-shaped, broadleaf evergreen shrub, 6-20 ft. tall, with stout, picturesque, ascending branches. The foliage is dense, thick, glossy and dark green, often in winter developing a yellow-green cast. The numerous bell-shaped, rosy-lilac flowers occur in dense, terminal clusters. An evergreen shrub with clusters of large, rose or purple-lilac, funnel-shaped flowers.

Photogrphic Location: Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

This attractive flowering shrub with southern affinities forms dense thickets on mountain slopes. Frequently used as an ornamental, it has been hybridized with the less hardy Himalayan species to produce some of our most spectacular showy rhododendrons.