Spermatophytes (seed plants): Angiosperms (flowering plants): Eudicots: Core Eudicots: Asterids: Ericales
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron atlanticum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
Go to FSUS key
Dig deeper at SERNEC, a consortium of southeastern herbaria.
Read more about Dwarf Azalea at Vascular Plants of North Carolina.
R. atlanticum is a member of what the Azalea Society of America refers to as "the white group". Read more here.
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron atlanticum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8 (2009)
Rhododendron atlanticum
SYNONYMOUS WITH VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-010:
Rhododendron atlanticum FAMILY Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea atlantica
COMMON NAME:
Dwarf Azalea, Coastal Azalea
To see larger pictures, click or hover over the thumbnails.
)
Will Stuart wil_r_atlanticum_086
April Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Flowers appear before the leaves, sticky from glandular hairs, per Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001).
)
Will Stuart wil_r_atlanticum_129
April Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
)
Will Stuart wil_r_atlanticum_135
April Scotland County NC
North Carolina Sandhills Gamelands
Flowers fragrant; flower tubes very glandular and can be white or pink, per American Azaleas (Towe, 2004).
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_1465814903912659
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_550423556932393
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
)
Sharleen Johnson shj_708032474208168
December Charleston County SC
Francis Marion National Forest
WEAKLEY'S FLORA OF THE SOUTHEASTERN US (4/24/22):
Rhododendron atlanticum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
PLANTS NATIONAL DATABASE:
Rhododendron atlanticum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Flora of North America north of Mexico, vol. 8
Rhododendron atlanticum
SYNONYMOUS WITH
VASCULAR FLORA OF THE CAROLINAS (Radford, Ahles, & Bell, 1968) 145-05-010:
Rhododendron atlanticum
FAMILY
Ericaceae
SYNONYMOUS WITH
Manual of the Southeastern Flora (Small, 1933, 1938)
Azalea atlantica
1218
Shrub
Perennial
Habitat: pocosins, savannas, pine flatwoods, sandhill-pocosin ecotones, per Weakley's Flora
Native to the Carolinas & Georgia
Common in Carolina Coastal Plain, uncommon in GA
CLICK HERE to see a map, notes, and images from Weakley's Flora of the Southeastern US.
LEAVES:
Deciduous
Simple
Alternate
FLOWER:
Spring
White/Lavender/Pink
Slightly bilaterally symmetrical
5-lobed calyx
5-lobed funnelform corolla
5 stamens, ca. 1.25X or less as long as corolla
Superior ovary
Bisexual
FRUIT:
Summer/Fall
Capsule
TO LEARN MORE about this plant, look it up in a good book!
- American Azaleas (Towe, 2004) p027
- Atlantic Coastal Plain Wildflowers (Nelson, 2006) p132
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 1st ed. (Porcher & Rayner, 2001) p247
- Guide to the Wildflowers of SC, 2nd ed. (McMillan, Porcher, Rayner, & White; 2022) p340
- How to Recognize Shrubs (Grimm, 1966) p219
- Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast (Foote & Jones, 1989) p107
- Newcomb's Wildflower Guide (Newcomb, 1977) p300
- Wildflowers of the Carolina Lowcountry (Porcher, 1995) p164
- Wild Flowers of NC, 2nd edition (Justice, Bell, & Lindsey, 2005) p177
- Woody Plants of the Southeastern US: A Winter Guide (Lance, 2004) p290
- Wildflowers of the Sandhills Region (Sorrie, 2011) p226
If a search such as "Carex leptalea var. leptalea" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "Carex leptalea".
Or, to minimize chances of a misspelling, try just "Carex le".
Less is more: If "pencil flower" doesn't deliver the results you want, try "pencil".