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Is It an Azalea or a Rhododendron?

4/3/2019

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azalea bloom
All azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas.
I've always struggled with identifying azaleas and rhododendrons. Just as soon as I thought I had it figured out I'd run across a nice pot of what I thought was  azaleas and then discover the plant label said rhododendron.

As it turns out there was a good reason for my confusion. Azaleas and rhododendrons are not completely different plants. Azaleas are a species of rhododendron. In other words, all azaleas are rhododendrons, but not all rhododendrons are azaleas. 

I probably wasn't wrong when I thought I found a pot of azaleas, but the producer who labeled it as rhododendrons wasn't wrong either. This is one case where two opposing opinions can both be correct.


How Can You Tell If the Flower Is an Azalea?

The main identifying characteristic of an azalea is the presence of 5 to 6 stamens in the center of the bloom while other rhododendrons typically have 10 (or more). Stamens are the male part of a flower and look like a slender stem with pollen on the end. They are often brightly colored with yellow or orange pollen.
AzaleaThis azalea has 5 yellow stamens.

rhododendron
This rhododendron has 10 pink stamens.

There are other clues, of course, but none of them are hard and fast rules. For example, many azaleas are deciduous (they lose their leaves in the fall) while many other rhododendrons are evergreen. However, some azaleas are evergreen and some rhododendrons are not, notes Gardenia. The presence of deciduous or evergreen foliage  is not a reliable way to distinguish whether your shrub is an azalea or another species of rhododendron.

As a general rule, azalea shrubs are smaller than other rhododendrons, but there are both large and small species of rhododendrons. Azaleas also typically have smaller leaves than traditional rhododendrons, but there are both small and large leaf rhododendrons, too. The size of the shrub or the size of the foliage is not always a reliable way to distinguish the two.

Both produce flowers in shades of white, pink, red, purple and peach with some varieties sporting yellow or orange blooms. They bring the garden bed to life in late spring or early summer. Whatever you choose to call them, these flowering shrubs produce a mass of color and are sure to brighten your garden bed.
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  • Home
  • Garden Thyme Blog
  • Themes
    • Butterfly Gardens
    • Moon Gardens
    • Sensory Gardens
    • All About Fairies
  • Flowers
    • Annual Flowers >
      • Alyssum
      • Cosmos
      • Geraniums
      • Marigolds
      • Morning Glories
      • Nasturtiums
      • Petunias >
        • Reviving Petunias
      • Snapdragons
      • Sunflowers
      • Sweet Peas
      • Zinnias
    • Perennial Flowers >
      • Golden Glow (Rudbeckia laciniata ‘Hortensia’)
      • Lupines
      • Purple Coneflower (Echinacea Purpurea)
    • Maine Wildflowers
  • Veggies
    • Warm Season Vegetables >
      • About Beans >
        • Growing Beans
        • Growing Pole Beans
        • How to Make a Teepee Trellis
      • About Corn >
        • Growing Corn
        • What is Baby Corn, anyway?
        • Can you grow corn in containers?
      • Cucumbers >
        • Grow a cucumber in a bottle
        • Growing Pickling Cucumbers
        • Growing cucamelons (Mexican Gherkin)
        • Why do cucumbers blossom but fail to set fruit?
        • Trellising Cucumbers
        • Making Cucumber Relish
        • Powdery Mildew on Cucumbers
      • Melons
      • Peppers >
        • Growing Peppers
      • Squash >
        • Growing Zucchini
        • Spaghetti Squash
      • Tomatoes >
        • How to Harden Off Tomato Plants
        • How (and when) to Prune Tomatoes
        • Magnesium Sulfate (Epsom Salt) for Tomatoes
        • Blossom End Rot in Tomatoes
        • Growing Cherry Tomatoes in Hanging Baskets
        • 4 Best Tomatoes for Short Seasons - Early Tomatoes
        • 5 Early Maturing Tomatoes for Short Season Gardening
        • How to Ripen Green Tomatoes
        • How to Make Sun-Dried Tomatoes at Home
        • How to Grow a Pomato Plant
    • Cool Season Vegetables >
      • Cole Crops
      • Greens >
        • How to Grow Spinach
        • How to Grow Malabar Spinach
        • How to Grow Swiss Chard
        • Harvesting and Cooking Beet Greens
        • How to Grow Microgreens
      • Onions & Garlic >
        • How to Grow Garlic
        • How to Grow Onions
      • Peas >
        • Growing Garden (shelling) Peas
        • Growing Sugar Snap Peas
      • Potatoes >
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Containers
        • How to Grow Potatoes in Hay Bales
      • Root Crops >
        • Growing Beets
        • How to Grow Carrots
        • Turnips vs Rutabagas
  • Herbs
    • Growing Basil
    • Growing Chives
    • Growing Lavender
    • Herbal Tea Garden
    • How to Grow a Culinary Herb Garden
    • How to Grow Herbs in Sponges
    • Colonial Herb Garden - Classroom Project
    • Herbed Butter
    • Making Herbed Oils
  • Gardening Basics
    • Seed Starting Basics
    • Grafting Basics
    • Soil >
      • Starting a New Garden
      • How to Prepare Soil
      • How to Test Soil Drainage
      • What Type of Soil Do You Have
      • Soil Mix Recipe for Containers
      • How to Make Compost Tea
      • How to Use Mulch
  • Garden Pests
    • How to Control Japanese Beetles
    • How to Control Blister Beetles
    • How to Get Rid of Colorado Potato Beetles
  • Birds
    • Hummingbirds >
      • DIY Hummingbird Feeders from Recycled Bottles
      • Annuals for Hummingbird Gardens
      • Perennials for Hummingbird Gardens
    • About Birdseed
    • Choosing a Birdfeeder
  • Fiddleheads and Fairies
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • How to Marinate Roasted Vegetables