About
Find Nurseries
Design & Inspiration
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Advanced Search
Contact Us
Sign In
Donate
Home
Advanced Search
Map Locator
View Settings
Nurseries Carrying this Plant
Add Current Plant To List
Edit Current Plant
Show all Photos
About Calscape
Nurseries
California Garden Planner
Bay Area Garden Planner (NEW)
Planting Guide
Butterflies
My Plant Lists
Contact Calscape
Donate
Tap map to see plants native to location
Print Plant Signs
Print Plant Labels
Export To Excel
Export To Excel (Detailed)
Order by Popularity
Order by Common Name
Order by Scientific Name
Order by # of Butterflies Hosted
Show nursery cultivars
Hide nursery cultivars
Show plants not in nurseries
Hide plants not in nurseries
Grid view
Text view
Home
>
Rhododendron occidentale (Western Azalea)
for California
>
Rhododendron occidentale
|
Previous
Next
Loading....
Processing the request......
Western Azalea
( Rhododendron occidentale )
Rhododendron occidentale
More Photos at CalPhotos
More Info at Jepson eFlora
Calflora
Click on blue squares to see occurrence records.
<< Plant species
Zoom To My Address
Zoom To California
Estimated Plant Range (
?
)
occurrences >>
All Occurrence Records
35 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
About Western Azalea (Rhododendron occidentale)
35 Nurseries Carry This Plant
Add to My Plant List
Western Azalea is best known of three
Rhododendron species
native to California. It occurs as far north as Bandon, Oregon and as far south as the Palomar Mountain area in southern California, possibly also in Baja California, Mexico. It is a shrub capable of growing to 5 meters tall but more commonly around 3 meters. The leaves are deciduous, 3-9 centimeters long and 1-3 centimeters broad. The flowers are 3.5-5 centimeters in diameter, with five lobes on the corolla; color varies from white to pink, often with a yellow blotch. It is most often found in moist forested areas. It typically gets summer fog drip or some other source of summer moisture. It is deciduous and will be leafless for some months out of the year, but does produce interesting fall color. It needs some sun for good flower production but also likes some high shade such as the edge of a woodland.
Plant Description
Plant Type
Shrub
Size
6 - 16.4 ft tall
10 ft wide
Form
Upright, Rounded
Growth Rate
Moderate
Dormancy
Winter Deciduous
Fragrance
Fragrant - Pleasant
Flower Color
White, Pink
Flowering Season
Spring
Wildlife Supported
Butterflies & moths hosted ( 2
confirmed
, 23
likely
* )
SHOW ALL
Hoary Comma
Polygonia gracilis
Polygonia gracilis
Green Comma
Polygonia faunus
Polygonia faunus
*
Gray Hairstreak
Strymon melinus
Strymon melinus
*
Satyr Comma
Polygonia satyrus
Polygonia satyrus
*
The Brown Elfin
Callophrys augustinus
Callophrys augustinus
*
Oreas Comma
Polygonia oreas
Polygonia oreas
*
White-lined Sphinx
Hyles lineata
Hyles lineata
Landscaping Information
Sun
Part Shade
Moisture
Moderate - High
Summer Irrigation
Max 1x / week once established
Nurseries
Carried by 35
Cold Tolerance
Tolerates cold to -10° F
Soil Drainage
Slow
Soil Description
Prefers deep woodland soil with high organic content, can be acidic such as peat or pine needles. Tolerates Sodic Soil. Soil PH: 4.0 - 8.0
Common uses
Butterfly Gardens
Companion Plants
Other woodland species including
Wild Ginger
(
Asarum caudatum
),
Ceanothus species
, Pacific
Bleeding Heart
(
Dicentra formosa
), California
Coffeeberry
(
Frangula californica
), Alumroot (
Heuchera micrantha
),
Oceanspray
(
Holodiscus discolor
),
Tanoak
(
Notholithocarpus densiflorus
), Pines (
Pinus species
),
Oak
s (
Quercus species
), Gooseberries (
Ribes species
), Fringecups (
Tellima grandiflora
), and Huckleberry (Vaccinum species).
Maintenance
Some occasional thinning of branches may be needed to keep an attractive, open structure. Prune in winter when the plant is dormant
Propagation
?
Seeds, cuttings or layering. For propagating by seed: No treatment. Best sown on milled sphagnum moss.
Sunset Zones
?
3, 4*, 5*, 6*, 7*, 14*, 15*, 16*, 17*, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24
Natural Setting
Site Type
Streambanks, seeps, wet meadows or other moist areas within or adjacent to forest or woodlands, typically in mountainous areas
Climate
Annual Precipitation: 5.2" - 151.6", Summer Precipitation: 0.18" - 5.67", Coldest Month: 25.1" - 58.3", Hottest Month: 47.2" - 87.0", Humidity: 0.01" - 37.61", Elevation: -111" - 10286"
Alternative Names
Botanical Names
: Rhododendron occidentale var. occidentale
Common Names
: Sonoma Azalea
Print Plant Sign
Print Plant Label
Back
Print
Back
Print
Western Azalea
Rhododendron occidentale
Sources include:
Wikipedia
. All text shown in the "About" section of these pages is available under the
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License
. Plant observation data provided by the participants of the
California Consortia of Herbaria
, Sunset information provided by
Jepson Flora Project
. Propogation from seed information provided by the
Santa Barbara Botanical Garden
from "Seed Propagation of Native California Plants" by Dara E. Emery. Sources of plant photos include
CalPhotos
,
Wikimedia Commons
, and independent plant photographers who have agreed to share their images with Calscape. Other general sources of information include
Calflora
,
CNPS Manual of Vegetation Online
,
Jepson Flora Project
,
Las Pilitas
,
Theodore Payne
,
Tree of Life
,
The Xerces Society
, and information provided by CNPS volunteer editors, with special thanks to Don Rideout. Climate data used in creation of plant range maps is from
PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University
, using 30 year (1981-2010) annual "normals" at an 800 meter spatial resolution.
Links:
Jepson eFlora Taxon Page
CalPhotos
Wikipedia
Calflora
Sign in to your Calscape Account
X
Once signed in, you'll be able to access any previously saved plant lists or create new ones.
Email Address
Password
Sign In