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Common Name: Pinxter-flower
Scientific Name: Rhododendron nudiflorum
Family Name: Ericaceae
Serendipity Ranch
Columbus, North Carolina
April 17, 2002
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The almost odorless flowers, about 1 inch across, usually appear on these shrubs before the thin elliptic leaves. A northeastern species, these plants are relatively frequent, though widely scattered, along streams in the deciduous forests and in low woodlands more or less throughout our state. March-May [Justice, William S. and Bell, C. Ritchie, Wild Flowers of North Carolina. University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1968]
This plant, known also as the wild azalea, is the Parkway's earliest blooming azalea. The pink, tubular, urn-shaped flowers begin to appear in terminal clusters from mid- to late April. These attractive, early-season blooms feature five long and curved stamens protruding from the center of the flower. The leaves, which measure 2 to 4 inches long, are thin, oblong, pointed at both ends, and clustered in pseudo-whorls near the ends of the branches. This showy, slightly fragrant shrub appears in deciduous woods, along streams, and in damp areas. May-July [Alderman, J. Anthony, Wildflowers of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill, 1997]
January February March April May June July August September October November December
Alphabetical Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Family Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z
Genus Listings -- A B C D, E F G H I, J, K L M N, O P Q, R S T U, V W X, Y, Z