Gemeinnützige Gesellschaft für immergrüne Laub- und Nadelgehölze
Information on Rhododendron (Translation in progress)
Rhododendron 'Persil' Axel Oehler
Rhododendron - An Introduction
Rhododendrons are well known in Europe for more than 300 years. Certainly they rank among the most beautiful flowering shrubs. The genus Rhododendron containing the most describes species worldwide belongs to the Ericaceae family. There are over 800 exactly separable species, even 500 species more are described. Rhododendron hirsutum, Rh. ferrugineum and Rh. palustre ssp. palustre are indigenous in Germany; seven more are in Europe. Main dispersal area is Asia: 525 species in Yunnan, Szechuan and Japan; 25 species in North America in coastal areas and in the Rocky Mountains; 330 species in Malaysia, those are species of the subgenus Vireya which are not suitable for european climate; last not least two species in Australia (Rh. lochiae and Rh. notiale). There are no Rhododendrons in Africa, South- and Centralamerica.
There are different attempts to systematize the genus Rhododendron e.g. from SLEUMER and SEITHE, from SPETHMANN and from CULLEN, CHAMBERLAIN and PHILIPSON. Usually they are organized into the following rhododendron groups:
