Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Rhododendron pilosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Minniebush at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Menziesia pilosa
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Diplarche and Menziesia transferred to Rhododendron (Craven, 2011)
Rhododendron pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-06-001:
Menziesia pilosa FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Menziesia pilosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH Andre Michaux
Azalea pilosa
COMMON NAME:
Minniebush
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
USDA-NRCS PLANTS Database / Britton, N.L., and A. Brown. 1913 pnd_mepi2_001_lvd
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JK Marlow jkm140607_468
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm140607_471
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Vegetation resembles that of azaleas & blueberries, per Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989).
)
JK Marlow jkm140607_471b
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Leaves mostly 1-2" long, tip mucronate, ciliate on margin, hairy, per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm140607_481
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm140607_485
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Bark is grayish to light brown, usually papery and exfoliating, per Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004).
)
JK Marlow jkm140607_621
June Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
Small urn-shaped flowers, corolla greenish-white, often with a reddish tinge, per Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011).
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmpilosa_cg1
June
)
Patrick D. McMillan pdmmpilosa_ls
June?
)
JK Marlow jkm0508c_25
August Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
)
JK Marlow jkm0508c_25b
August Transylvania County NC
Blue Ridge Parkway
When sterile, the prominent mucro on the leaves [helps] distinguish it, per Weakley's Flora.
)
JK Marlow jkm180821_3925
August Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
JK Marlow jkm180821_3927
August Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
The midrib below with ragged, scaly "joints", per Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance).
)
JK Marlow jkm180821_3933
August Jackson County NC
Whiteside Mountain
)
Ron Lance rwl930_a
September
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (10/20/20):
Rhododendron pilosum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Menziesia pilosa
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Diplarche and Menziesia transferred to Rhododendron (Craven, 2011)
Rhododendron pilosum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-06-001:
Menziesia pilosa
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Menziesia pilosa
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Andre Michaux
Azalea pilosa
930
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: Heath balds, bogs, rocky summits, and rocky woodlands, mostly at high elevations, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Click here to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
Click here to see a map showing all occurrences known to SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria. (Zoom in to see more detail.)
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring/Summer
Greenish-white/Reddish-pink
Bisexual
4-lobed calyx
4-lobed urceolate corolla
8 included stamens
Superior ovary
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p109
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p178
- Woody Plants of the Blue Ridge (Lance) p28
- Wildflowers & Plant Communities of the Southern Appalachian Mountains and Piedmont (Spira, 2011) p295
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p214