Azaleas are shrubs that produce very beautiful flowers, in colors ranging from white to red, passing through pink and lilac. Generally, they do not grow more than a meter, although if you have the opportunity to plant them in the ground, they can exceed that height if they are also allowed to grow on their own. Even so, We are talking about relatively small plants, and therefore very interesting to have, also, in pots. But did you know that there are different varieties?
Yes, they all look identical, except for the color of the flower, which does change. But I think that it is important to know the different types of azaleas, since that way we can decide which one we are going to include in our collection.
Where do they originate from?
Azaleas are shrubs that are deciduous or perennial plants -depending on the variety- that grow in Asia (especially in China and Japan), Europe and also in North America. Its growth is slow, but its flowering is magnificent, since a single specimen produces many, many flowers.These are usually small, about 2 centimeters in diameter, but remain open for a few days in spring.
Its leaves are also small, since they measure about 2-6 centimeters in length. Dark green on the upper side, they remain on the plants for many months, until they finally fall in winter if they are deciduous, or until they are gradually replaced by new ones if they are perennial.
They can be confused with Rhododendron, and it is really azaleas are a subtype of rhododendron. But they have certain characteristics that differentiate them since the leaves and flowers are smaller than the ones they have. In addition, azaleas withstand heat much better, which is why they can be kept in pots in, for example, the Mediterranean region.
What types of azaleas are there?
It is estimated that there are more than a hundred species, apart from the ten thousand cultivars that have been obtained for several centuries. Being a plant that multiplies very well by cuttings, it has not been difficult to obtain new varieties.
To make it easier to identify them, botanists classified them into two sections:
- tsutsusi: includes about a hundred species native to Asia. These are deciduous, although there are some evergreen. An example is the Rhododendron indicum, which is native to Japan and produces pink flowers.
- penthanthera: they are deciduous azaleas native to Europe and America, such as the rhododendron luteum, which is a European plant that has yellow flowers.
Now that we know this, let's see what types of pure azaleas (ie not cultivars) we can find:
Rhododendron calendulaceum
Image - Wikimedia / Bostonian13
El Rhododendron calendulaceum is an azalea native to the Appalachian Mountains in the United States. It reaches a height of between 1 and 4 meters, and develops leaves about 6 centimeters long, opaque green on the upper side and hairy on the underside. Its flowers are orange or reddish-orange, and measure about 4 centimeters.
Canadian Rhododendron
Image – Wikimedia/Radomil
El Canadian Rhododendron It is a deciduous shrub native to northeastern North America. It reaches a maximum height of 1,2 meters, and its flowers are roses, about 3 centimeters wide. It must be said that it blooms very early in spring, so if you want your garden to be filled with color as soon as possible, this is a very interesting species.
Rhododendron farrerae
Image - Wikimedia / Alpsdake
El Rhododendron farrerae It is an azalea native to China. It is deciduous, and can reach a height of up to 60 centimeters. It is one of the varieties that produces larger flowers, since these can measure about 3 centimeters. They are purple-pink.
Rhododendron indicum
Image - Wikimedia / Alejandro Bayer Tamayo
El Rhododendron indicum It is an evergreen azalea native to Japan that reaches about a meter in height. The flowers measure approximately 2 centimeters in diameter, and they are pink. It is one of the most cultivated.
rhododendron japonicum
Image - Wikimedia / Σ64
El rhododendron japonicum It is an evergreen shrub native to Japan that reaches a height of 1-2 meters. Its leaves are about 2-3 centimeters long, and the flowers about 2 centimeters in diameter. Are these pink or red?.
rhododendron luteum
Image - Wikimedia / Zeynel Cebeci
El rhododendron luteum It is a deciduous shrub native to both southwestern Europe and southeastern Asia. It reaches a height of up to 4 meters, and develops leaves about 10 centimeters long. Its flowers are yellow, and measure about 4 centimeters wide.
Rhododendron simsii
Image - Wikimedia / Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz
El Rhododendron simsii It is an evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub native to East Asia. It reaches a height of up to 2 meters, and develops leaves up to 5 centimeters in length. Flowers can be white, pink, or red.
As you have seen, there are several types of azaleas. Did you like any in particular? We hope this has been the case, because they are certainly very beautiful plants that, with a little care, you will be able to have for many years. For more information, we recommend reading this article:
