80 seeds Rhododendron catawbiense.
Rhododendron catawbiense wildly grows in North America, high in the mountains of North Carolina, at the source of the Katevba River, after which it got its specific name. It grows in the mountains on open clones and under the forest canopy, where it forms extensive dense thickets.
Evergreen shrub 2-4 m tall, sometimes a tree up to 6 m, with oval-oblong, leathery leaves up to 15 cm long, dark green above and bluish below. The flowers are large, up to 15 cm in diameter, lilac-purple, with a wide bell-shaped corolla, very colorful at the time of flowering.
Shade-tolerant, also grows well in illuminated places. Prefers rich, well-drained, acidic or slightly acidic soils. One of the most hardy evergreen rhododendrons. It is used in single and group plantings, along the edges of the northwestern forest zone of Russia. In culture since 1809.
It is widely used in breeding to obtain winter-hardy large-flowered evergreen varieties. Three-year-old seedlings of this species are the best stock for many varieties of evergreen rhododendrons.
The fruit is a capsule. Ripening in October.
Blooms in late May - early June, less often in July. Duration of flowering is about a month.
Life expectancy is about a hundred years
USDA Hardiness Zone (°F): 4 (-30 to -20 °F)