Azaleas are shrubs that produce very beautiful flowers, in colors ranging from white to red, including pink and lilac. Generally they do not grow more than a meter, although if you have the option of planting them in the ground they can exceed this height if they are also allowed to grow on their own. Nevertheless, We are talking about relatively small plants, and therefore very interesting to have, also, in pots. But did you know that there are different varieties?
Yes, they all look the same except for the color of the flower, which changes. But I think that it is important to know the different types of azaleassince in this way we can decide which one we are going to include in our collection.
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Where do they come from ?
Azaleas are shrubs that are deciduous or perennial – depending on the variety – that grow in Asia (especially in China and Japan), Europe and also in North America. Its growth is slow, but its flowering is magnificent, since a single specimen produces very many flowers.These are usually small, about 2 centimeters in diameter, but remain open for a few days in the spring.
Its leaves are also small, being about 2 to 6 centimeters long. Dark green on the upper side, they remain on the plants for long months, until they finally fall off in winter if they are deciduous, or until they are gradually replaced by new ones if they are perennials.
They may be confused with the Rhododendron, and that is they really azaleas are a subtype of rhododendron. But they have certain characteristics that differentiate them since the leaves and flowers are smaller than the ones they have. In addition, azaleas are much more resistant to heat, which is why they can be kept in pots, for example in the Mediterranean region.
What types of azaleas are there?
It is estimated that there are more than a hundred species, apart from the ten thousand cultivars obtained over several centuries. Being a plant that multiplies very well by cuttings, it was not difficult to obtain new varieties.
To facilitate their identification, botanists have classified them into two sections:
- Tsutsusi: includes a hundred species from Asia. These are deciduous, although there are some evergreens. An example is the Rhododendron indicumwhich is native to Japan and produces pink flowers.
- Penthanther: they are deciduous azaleas native to Europe and America, such as the yellow rhododendronwhich is a European plant with yellow flowers.
Now that we know that, let’s see what types of pure azaleas (i.e. not cultivars) we can find:
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Image – Wikimedia/Bostonian13
The Rhododendron calendulaceum is an azalea native to Appalachia in the United States. It reaches a height of between 1 and 4 meters, and develops leaves about 6 centimeters long, opaque green on the upper side and hairy on the lower side. Its flowers are orange or orange-redand measures about 4 centimeters.
Canadian Rhododendron
Image – Wikimedia/Radomil
The Canadian Rhododendron It is a deciduous shrub native to northeastern North America. It reaches a maximum height of 1.2 meters, and her flowers are roses, about 3 centimeters wide. It must be said that it flowers very early in the spring, so if you want your garden to be filled with color as soon as possible, it is a very interesting species.
Rhododendron farrerae
Image – Wikimedia/Alpsdake
The Rhododendron farrerae It is an azalea native to China. It is deciduous and can reach a height of up to 60 centimeters. It is one of the varieties that produces larger flowers, since these can measure about 3 centimeters. They are purplish pink.
Rhododendron indicum
Image – Wikimedia/Alejandro Bayer Tamayo
The Rhododendron indicum It is an evergreen azalea native to Japan that reaches about one meter in height. The flowers are about 2 centimeters in diameter, and they are pink. It is one of the most cultured.
Rhododendron japonica
Image – Wikimedia/Σ64
The Rhododendron japonica It is an evergreen shrub native to Japan that reaches a height of 1 to 2 meters. Its leaves are about 2 to 3 centimeters long and the flowers about 2 centimeters in diameter. Are they pink or red?.
yellow rhododendron
Image – Wikimedia/Zeynel Cebeci
The yellow rhododendron It is a deciduous shrub native to southwestern Europe and southeastern Asia. It reaches a height of up to 4 meters and develops leaves about 10 centimeters long. Its flowers are yellowand is about 4 centimeters wide.
Rhododendron simsii
Image – Wikimedia/Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
The Rhododendron simsii It is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub native to East Asia. It reaches a height of up to 2 meters and develops leaves up to 5 centimeters long. The flowers can be white, pink or red.
As you have seen, there are several types of azaleas. Did you like one in particular? We hope that was the case, because they are certainly very beautiful plants that with a little care you can have for many years. For more information, we advise you to read this article:
Related article:
Azalea, the most ornamental flowering shrub