The Rhody

by Robert Bales

Title

The Rhody

Artist

Robert Bales

Medium

Photograph - Photo

Description

This one is one of my wife favorite shrub that we plated last year.

Rhododendron is a genus characterised by shrubs and small to (rarely) large trees, the smallest species growing to 10 to 100 cm (3.9 39.4 in) tall, and the largest, R. protistum var. giganteum, reported to 30 m (98 ft) tall. The leaves are spirally arranged; leaf size can range from 1 to2 cm (0.39 to 0.79 in) to over 50 cm (20 in), exceptionally 100 cm (39 in) in R. sinogrande. They may be either evergreen or deciduous. In some species, the undersides of the leaves are covered with scales (lepidote) or hairs (indumentum). Some of the best known species are noted for their many clusters of large flowers. There are alpine species with small flowers and small leaves, and tropical species such as section Vireya that often grow as epiphytes. Species in this genus may be part of the heath complex in oak-heath forests in eastern North America. They have frequently been divided based on the presence or absence of scales on the abaxial (lower) leaf surface (lepidote or elepidote). These scales, unique to subgenus Rhododendron, are modified hairs consisting of a polygonal scale attached by a stalk.
The Rhododendron genus is the largest of the genera in the Ericaceae family, with 1,024 species, ]though estimates vary from 850-1000 depending on the authority used, (Fayaz 2012) and is morphologically diverse. Consequently, the taxonomy has been historically complex.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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June 10th, 2016

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