Rhododendron canescens, commonly called mountain azalea, Piedmont azalea, hoary azalea or Florida pinkster, is a large deciduous shrub that is native to moist woods, swamp margins and along streams from North Carolina to Florida west to Tennessee, Arkansas and Texas. It typically grows to 6-8’ tall in cultivation, but less frequently may grow to 10-15’ tall. It features clusters (5-9 flowers per cluster) of fragrant, funnel-shaped, pink (infrequently white) flowers (1-2” long) in early spring as the foliage begins to emerge. Pistil and stamens of each flower protrude well beyond the corolla in an upward arch. Obovate to elliptic, dull green leaves (to 3” long) are gray-pubescent (canescent) beneath. Flowers give way to woody capsules (to 1/2” long). More information from the Mossouri Botanical Garden
