rhododendron

rhododendron
/roh'deuh den"dreuhn/, n.
any evergreen or deciduous shrub or tree belonging to the genus Rhododendron, of the heath family, having rounded clusters of showy, pink, purple, or white flowers and oval or oblong leaves.
[1595-1605; < L < Gk rhodódendron (rhódo- RHODO- + déndron tree)]

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Any of about 800 diverse species of woody plants that make up the genus Rhododendron in the heath family, notable for their attractive flowers and handsome foliage.

They are native chiefly in the northern temperate zone, especially in South Asia and Malaysia. Some are evergreens, others deciduous. Some are low-growing ground covers; others are tall trees. Flowers are usually tubular to funnel-shaped and occur in a wide range of colours: white, yellow, pink, scarlet, purple, and blue. See also azalea.

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plant
      any of a genus of woody plants in the heath family (Ericaceae), notable for their attractive flowers and handsome foliage. The genus is large and extremely diverse, comprising about 850 species. Rhododendrons are native chiefly in the North Temperate Zone, especially in the moist acid soil of the Himalayas and into Southeast Asia to the mountains of New Guinea. The genus Rhododendron includes the azalea and Labrador tea, which were sometimes considered distinct.

      Rhododendron, meaning “red tree,” refers to the red flowers and woody growth of some species, but rhododendrons range in habit from evergreen to deciduous and from low-growing ground covers to tall trees. The first species available for garden use, in the mid-1600s, was R. hirsutum, the hairy alpine rose, which may grow as high as 1 metre (3 feet). Others range from matlike dwarf species only 10 cm (4 inches) high (R. prostratum, from Yunnan, China) to trees in excess of 12 metres (R. arboreum, R. barbatum, and R. giganteum, from Asia). Leaves are thick and leathery and are evergreen in all but the azalea species, some of which are deciduous. Flowers may be scented or not and are usually tubular to funnel-shaped and occur in a wide range of colours—white, yellow, pink, scarlet, purple, and blue.

 The catawba rhododendron, or mountain rosebay (R. catawbiense), of the southeastern United States, is plentiful and a great flowering attraction in June in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The hardy catawba hybrids are derived from R. catawbiense and allied species. The great laurel rhododendron (R. maximum), overlapping in distribution with the catawba, ranges more northeasterly; it is often grown as an ornamental. Both can be small trees, up to 6 metres or taller. Large-leaved species (and their hybrids) from the Himalayan region have long been popular ornamental plants in temperate areas without extreme winter cold. Rhodora (R. canadense), from northeastern North America, bears rose-purple flowers before the leaves unfurl. In the British Isles, R. ponticum has become a serious weed. Introduced in the late 18th century from Spain, Portugal, and, to a lesser extent, Turkey, this rhododendron forms impenetrable thickets in which virtually nothing else grows.
 

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Universalium. 2010.

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Synonyms:
(Ericacea)


Look at other dictionaries:

  • Rhododendron — Rhododendron …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Rhododendron — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda ? Rododendro Flor de rododendro Clasificación científica …   Wikipedia Español

  • rhododendron — [ rɔdɔdɛ̃drɔ̃ ] n. m. • 1779; « laurier rose des Alpes » 1500; lat. rhododendron, mot gr., de rhodon « rose » et dendron « arbre » ♦ Arbuste ou arbre (éricacées), à feuilles persistantes, à fleurs blanches, roses, rouges, violettes, dont de… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Rhododendron — (del griego: rhodos, rosa; dendron, árbol) es un género de plantas de flor de la familia Ericaceae. Dado que es un género muy extenso, las plantas se han organizado en subgéneros, secciones, subsecciones y series. Estos subgéneros se dividen… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • rhododendron — c.1600, from L. rhododendron, from Gk. rhododendron, lit. rose tree, from rhodon rose (see ROSE (Cf. rose)) + dendron tree (see DENDRO (Cf. dendro )) …   Etymology dictionary

  • rhododendron — [rō΄dəden′drən] n. [L < Gr rhododendron < rhodon, rose (see RHODA) + dendron,TREE] any of a genus (Rhododendron) of trees and shrubs of the heath family, mainly evergreen, with showy flowers of pink, white, or purple …   English World dictionary

  • Rhododendron — (Ле дез Альп,Франция) Категория отеля: Адрес: 4 rue de la Glisse, 38860 Ле дез Альп, Ф …   Каталог отелей

  • Rhododendron — Rho do*den dron, n. [L., fr. Gr. rodo dendron, literally, rose tree; ro don rose + de ndron tree. See {Rose}.] (Bot.) A genus of shrubs or small trees, often having handsome evergreen leaves, and remarkable for the beauty of their flowers;… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Rhododendron — (R. L.), Pflanzengattung aus der Familie der Ericaceae Rhododendreae, 10. Kl. 1. Ordn. L.; Arten: R. ferrugineum u. R. hirsutum (Alpenrose), niedriger, auf den Alpen heimischer Strauch, mit elliptisch lanzettförmigen, steifen, lederartigen, am… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Rhododéndron — L. (Alpenrose, Rosenbaum), Gattung der Erikazeen, Sträucher, selten niedere Bäume mit wechselständigen, lederartigen, bleibenden oder wechselnden, ganzen und ganzrandigen, behaarten, glatten oder schuppig bestreuten und glänzenden Blättern,… …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

  • Rhododéndron — L., Pflanzengattg. der Erikazeen, Sträucher mit immergrüner Belaubung und schön gefärbten Blumen, fast alle in höhern Regionen der Hochgebirge Europas, Asiens und Nordamerikas; in den europ. Alpen häufig R. hirsūtum L. und ferruginĕum L.… …   Kleines Konversations-Lexikon

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