Rhododendron macrophyllum D. Don ex G. Don
Pacific rhododendron (California rhododendron)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Pacific rhododendron (California rhododendron)
Ericaceae (Crowberry family)
Introduction to Vascular Plants
Map
Distribution of Rhododendron macrophyllum
Click here to view the full interactive map and legend
Introduction
Our native rhododendron has broadly campanulate, pink to rosy purple, occasionally white, flowers spotted yellow. The truss holds 10-20 flowers. The leaves are oblong to elliptic and up to nine inches long. Grows to five feet in 10 years. Blooms in mid to late spring.
Note Author: Gary Lewis, Phoenix Perennials |
Species Information
General:
Erect to spreading shrub; stems branched, 1-8 m tall, glabrous but finely hairy when young.
Leaves:
Evergreen, leathery, oblong-elliptic, 8-20 cm long, entire, glabrous or nearly so, dark green above, paler beneath; stalks 1-2 cm long.
Flowers:
Many, in terminal clusters; flower stalks glabrous, up to 5 cm long; corollas pale pink to deep rose-purplish, spotted red-brown, tubular bell-shaped, 2.5-4 cm long, up to 5 cm across, deeply 5-lobed, lobes spreading and edges wavy; calyces minute, very shallowly lobed; stamens 10, filaments sparsely short-hairy on the lower half; anthers oblong, red-brown, 2-3 mm long.
Fruits:
Capsules, 1.5-2 cm long, rusty-hairy and glandular, woody.
Illustration
If more than one illustration is available for a species (e.g., separate illustrations were provided for two subspecies) then links to the separate images will be provided below. Note that individual subspecies or varietal illustrations are not always available.
Illustration Source: The Illustrated Flora of British Columbia
USDA Species Characteristics
Flower Colour:
Purple
Blooming Period:
Spring
Fruit/Seed characteristics:
Colour: Black
Present from Summer to Fall
Source: The USDA
Ecology
Ecological Framework for Rhododendron macrophyllum
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
The table below shows the species-specific information calculated from
original data (BEC database) provided by the BC Ministry of Forests and Range.
(Updated August, 2013)
| Site Information |
Value / Class |
||
|
Avg |
Min |
Max |
|
| Elevation
(metres) |
607 | 490 | 1330 |
| Slope
Gradient (%) |
9 | 0 | 72 |
|
Aspect (degrees) |
2 | 9 | 330 |
| Soil
Moisture Regime (SMR) [0 - very xeric; 4 - mesic; 8 - hydric] |
3 | 2 | 6 |
| Modal
Nutrient Regime
Class |
B | ||
| #
of field plots species was recorded in: |
61 | ||
| Modal
BEC Zone Class |
IDF | ||
|
All BEC Zones (# of stations/zone) species was recorded in |
CWH(23), ESSF(3), IDF(35) | ||
|
Source:
Klinkenberg 2013
|
|||
Habitat and Range
Mesic to moist forests in the lowland and montane zones; locally frequent in the Cascade Mountains, rare on S Vancouver Island; S to MT and N CA.Status Information
| Origin Status | Provincial Status | BC List (Red Blue List) | COSEWIC |
|---|---|---|---|
| Native | S4 | Yellow | NAR (May 1997) |
BC Ministry of Environment: BC Species and Ecosystems Explorer.
Synonyms
Synonyms and Alternate Names:
Rhododendron californicum Hook.