western azalea Ericaceae Rhododendron occidentale Torr. & A. Gray) A. Gray Listen to the Latin symbol: RHOC Other Fact Sheets
Leaf: Alternate, simple, deciduous, elliptical, 2 to 4 inches long, green and smooth above and paler below, entire margins.
Flower: Perfect, showy, trumpet-shaped, white or tinged with pink, 1 to 2 inches long, borne in loose clusters, appearing in early summer.
Fruit: A small brown, 5-parted capsule about 1/2 inch long, borne in clusters.
Twig: New twigs are slender and red- to orange-brown, and finely pubescent; older twigs are gray-brown and smooth; buds are small and have red, imbricate scales.
Bark: Grayish brown and thin, smooth or scaly.
Form: A loosely branched shrub to 10 feet tall.

 Looks like: Pacific rhododendron
leaf flower fruit twig bark form1 map
Additional Range Information:
Rhododendron occidentale is native to North America.
Range may be expanded by planting.
See states reporting western azalea.
External Links:
USDA Plants Database 		© Copyright 2016, Virginia Tech
Dept. of Forest Resources
and Environmental Conservation,
all rights reserved.
Photos and text by: John Seiler,
Edward Jensen, Alex Niemiera,
and John Peterson
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