Description

Shrub or small tree to 5m tall, usually non-rhizomatous; young twigs reddish brown, glabrous. Vegetative bud scales glabrous abaxially; margin unicellular-ciliate. Leaf blade membranaceous, ovate or obovate to elliptic, (5.4-)6.1-11.3(-15.2) x (2.5-)2.8-3.9(-4.2)cm; base acute to oblique; apex acute to obtuse, often mucronate; adaxial surface glabrous, occasionally with a few unicellular hairs scattered on the midvein; abaxial surface essentially glabrous, except for the presence of multicellular eglandular hairs on the midvein and/or secondary veins; margin entire, ciliate with multicellular eglandular hairs; petiole (0.1-)0.4-0.8(-1.0)cm long. Flower bud scales chestnut brown; abaxial surface glabrous; margin ciliate with unicellular hairs. Flowers appearing after die leaves have fully expanded; inflorescence a shortened raceme of 4 to 7 flowers. Pedicels 0.5-0.9(-1.2)cm long, sparsely to densely covered with multicellular eglandular hairs, or sometimes glabrous. Sepals less than 0. l-O.3(-0.4)cm long, often varying in length on the same flower; margins setose with multicellular eglandular hairs; abaxial surface glabrous to sparsely covered with unicellular hairs, sometimes also with multicellular eglandular hairs. Corolla coral-orange or salmon to deep red, with an indistinct darker red blotch on upper lobe, fragrance lacking, the tube longer than the Emb and abruptly expanding into it; upper corolla lobe (1.1-)1.2-1.7(-1.9) x l.0-1.4(-1.7)cm; lateral lobes (1.4-)1.5-2.0(-2.1) x (0.5-)0.7-1.0cm; corolla tube 2.4-2.8 (-3. l)cm long, 0. l-0.4(-0.5)cm wide at base; outer surface of corolla glabrous to sparsely covered with unicellular hairs, sometimes also sparsely covered with multicellular gland-tipped hairs that continue up the corolla lobes; inner surface of corolla sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs. Stamens (6.4-)6.6-7.6(-8.4)cm long, with dense terete or flattened unicellular hairs on proximal (2.4-)2.7-3.6(-3.7)cm of filament, exserted (3.8-)4.1-5.1(-5.8)cm beyond throat of corolla. Style (6.5-)7.1-8.6(-8.8)cm long, exserted (4.4-)5.0-6.5(-6.6)cm beyond throat of corolla, glabrous; stigma 0.1-0.3cm wide. Ovary (0.2-)0.3-0.4cm long, 0.1-0.2(-0.3)cm wide at the base, densely covered with multicellular eglandular hairs and with a few unicellular hairs. Capsules 1.7-2.1(-2.2) x 0.5-0.7cm, ovate-cylindric, sparsely covered with multicellular eglandular hairs. Seeds pale to dark chestnut brown, ovate or elliptic to fusiform, (1.7-)1.8-2.9(-3.2) x 0.71-1.2(-1.3)mm, body 1.0-1.3(-1.4)mm x (0.3-)0.4-0.7mm; testa expanded and dorsiventrally flattened, surrounding the body, the cells both elongate and short, scattered throughout the testa, with transverse end-walls.

Distribution

USA: Central Georgia-Alabama line.

Altitude

Habitat

Wooded ravines along streams in mixed pine-hardwoods.

Nomenclatural History

Azaleaprunifolia Small, Fl. S.E. U.S. ed. 2. 1356,1375 (1913). Type: Georgia, Randolph Co.: along branch at northern base of bluff about 2 miles north-west of Cuthbert, 21 vii 1903, R. M. Harper 1897 (holo. NY; iso. A, F, GH, MO).

Notes

References

Kron, K.A. (1993) A Revision of Rhododendron Section Pentanthera. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 50(3):327