Woody > Rhododendron > Rhododendron maximum > Rhododendron maximum
Rhododendron maximum
Great Laurel, Rosebay Rhododenron
Origin: North America, from Nova Scotia south to northern Alabama.
Mike's
Opinion
"
Unique evergreen plant with large strap-like leaves, beautiful clusters of late blooming flowers.
Michael Pascoe, NDP., ODH., CLT., MSc. (Plant Conservation)
"
| Family |
| Ericaceae |
| Genus |
| Rhododendron |
| Species |
| maximum |
| Category |
| Woody |
| Type |
| Shrub (evergreen) |
| Pronunciation |
| USDA Hardiness Zone |
| 3 - 7 |
| Canadian Hardiness Zone |
| 1a - 7a |
| RHS Hardiness Zone |
| H7 - H5 |
| Temperature (°C) |
| (-37) - (-12) |
| Temperature (°F) |
| (-35) - 10 |
| Height |
| 4-10 m |
| Spread |
| 5-8 m |
Photographs
Cultivars
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Description and Growing Information
Flowering Period
| General Description |
| A later blooming species with a large open and loose form. Long strap-like, medium green leaves are whorled around the stem and give rise to large clusters of inflorescences. |
| Landscape |
| A nice focal point in a shade garden, use as a screen or the margins of a wood. |
| Cultivation |
| Thrives in part to full shade in acidic, moist well-drained soils. |
| Shape |
| Upright, multi-stemmed, evergreen shrub, open and loose, broadly spreading, and often forming thickets. |
| Growth |
| Slow |
| Pests |
| Crown rot, dieback, aphids, powdery mildew, and leaf scorch. |
| Habitat |
| Forests in cool, damp bog-like conditions. |
| Bark/Stem Description |
| Bark is brown with shallow furrows between elongated scales. |
| Flower/Leaf Bud Description |
| Large ovoid flower buds are 1.2 cm pubescent a yellowish-lime green in colour and emerge into a white inflorescence. |
| Leaf Description |
| R. maximum has large, 10-20 cm long by 4-6 cm wide, dark to medium green leaves, light green to bronze underneath. Leaves are alternately whorled around the stem. The leaf blade is lanceolate to elliptical with entire margins, and a prominent central vein. |
| Flower Description |
| Monoecious; up to 25 inflorescences are borne in large clusters, each inflorescence measures 2.5-5 cm across and is held up by four leaf-like bracts, five white concave petals are dotted in an olive colour. |
| Fruit Description |
| Cinnamon brown, dehiscent, elongated pods are 1.3 cm in length and split along five lines to reveal tiny seeds inside. |
| Texture Description |
| Leaf texture is likened to a leather strap. |
| Propagation |
| Semi-ripe cuttings in late summer, 10 cm in length, insert into a propagator with bottom heat. Seeds should be surface sown on fine peat moss as soon as they are ripe and planted in the spring, germinate between temperatures of 13-16°C. |
References
"Rhododendron Maximum Fact Sheet". Virginia Tech, 2012. Web. 02 Mar. 2013.
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