A large, deciduous shrub that is often called the “Sweet Azalea” due to its delicate fragrance or the “Woolly Azalea” due to its fuzzy leaves. It has fragrant, funnel-shaped flowers in March or April and fuzzy, egg-shaped leaves. The flowers range in color from white to pink, and appear at the same time as the leaves or just before, providing nectar for hummingbirds and butterflies. Often found along the banks of streams and rivers and at the edges of moist woods or swamps, the Piedmont Azalea is the most abundant of all of the native azalea species in the Southeast. Height: 10-15’
Kingdom: Plantae
Phylum: Tracheophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Rhododendron
Species: Rhododendron canescens
Habitat
Forest, Urban
Distribution
Native to the eastern United states Coastal Plain & Piedmont from NC to FL & TX
Seasonality
Spring, Summer
Abundance
Common
Activity Time
Diurnal
Diet
Behavior
Ecological Role
Flowers are visited by bees, hummingbirds and butterflies