azalea
azalea, certain species of Rhododendron of the heath family (Ericaceae), formerly placed in the genus Azalea. Many azaleas are grown as ornamentals for their showy flowers, and most of the cultivated varieties have been bred from species that are native to the hilly regions of Asia and North America.
Physical description
Azaleas are typically deciduous while other rhododendrons are evergreen. Azalea flowers are funnel-shaped, somewhat two-lipped, and often fragrant. Flowers of rhododendrons, on the other hand, are more often bell-shaped. Azalea flowers typically have only 5 projecting stamens, as compared with 10 (or more) in rhododendrons. Intermediate forms, however, do occur.
Major species
Well-known North American kinds include the smooth, or sweet, azalea (R. arborescens), a fragrant white-flowering shrub 3 to 6 metres (about 10 to 20 feet) high; the flame azalea (R. calendulaceum), a shrub 0.5 to 2 metres (1.5 to 6.5 feet) high; and the pinxter flower (R. periclymenoides), a shrub 1 to 2 metres (3 to 6.5 feet) high, with pink to whitish flowers. Hundreds of horticultural forms have been bred, including the molle azalea (R. molle), the Yodogawa azalea (R. yedoense), and the torch azalea (R. kaempferi).
