Courtesy of University of Georgia Herbarium

Scanned by: Elizabeth Skillen

Binita Patel, State Botanical Gardens of Georgia Scanned by: Elizabeth Skillen

Common Names: (Brako, Farr, and Rossman, 1995)

Higher Taxa: (Hyan and Pankhurst, 1995)

• Class: Dicotyledoneae
• Order: Ericacles
• Family: Ericaceae
• Genus: Rhododendron
• Sub-genus: Azalea
• Species: Calendulaceum

During the late 1780s, a French botanist by the name of Andre Michaux went to North America to collect plants for the depleted forest, Rambouillet, located southwest of Paris. There he identified the species Rhododendron calendulaceum in what is now the Southeastern United States. On Michaux's return to Paris, he shipwrecked and lost most of his collection (Esposito, 1994). The location of where many of his collection is at the Natural History Museum in Paris (Stafleu and Cowan, 1981). It is unknown whether this specie is displayed there (Patel, 1998).

This deciduous native shrub grows between 3-4m tall. In the book, Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas by Radford, Ahles, and Bell, the flame azalea is described. "Erect shrub to 3-4m tall, twigs pubescent with a mixutre of long and short trichomes. Leaves deciduous, oblanceolate to elliptic, acute and muronate, finely serrulate-cihate, base cuneate, strigose on the principal veins beneath and often canescent; petioles 1-7mm long. Inflorescence 3-10 flowered. Calyx lobes 1.5-2mm long, pubescent and ciliate; corolla tube glandular-pubescent on back, 1.5-2.5cm long, slender, lobes spreading, brilliant orange, yellow, or red, the largest lobe usually suffused with a deep yellow, 1.5-2.5cm long, acute to acuminate; stamens 5; pistil as long as or slightly longer than the stamens. Capsule strigose and canescent, often stipitate-glandular, 1.5-2.5cm long. Seeds 3-4.5mm long, tapered to both ends (Ahles, 1964)".

This orange and yellow blooming shrub can be found in southwest Pennsylvania through the mountains of Georgia and Alabama; spreads west to West Virginia and southeastern Ohio (A href="References2.htm#Knopf">Knopf, 1979). Also it is hardy in southern New England (Everett, 1981).

Encounter the widely cultivated Rhododendron calendulaceum in dry open woods and mountain balds during the months of May through June (Knopf, 1979). Visit the flame azalea at the State Botanical Gardens of Georgia in the city of Athens during early May and see the bright yellow and orange blooms. R. Calendulaceums are sold at local nurseries mainly for brightening up and adding fragrance to gardens.

This species, an ornamental flower (Knopf, 1979), grows best in moist acidic soil, pH ranging from3.7 to 5.5, and filtered light is best (Relf, 1996). Also insect pests such ass root rot, spider mites, and aphids or fungal infections, dieback, and petal blight, can cause damage to the buds of the R. Calendulaceums (Fryling, Odenwald, and Pope, 1996).

 Did You Know:

The R. Calendulaceum is refereed to as the flame azalea not because of its red and orange blooms, but due to its unopened buds which are shaped like the flame of a candle. (URL: http://www.grandfather.com/florafauna/flame/flame.htm)

 This is a link to Grandfather Mountain Home Page. This will show you an additional flame azalea.  http://www.grandfather.com/florafauna/flame/flame.htm

Please email Binita Patel at bpatel@arches.uga.edu or 350patelb@dial.pick.uga.edu if more information is needed.