Orange Azalea / Center For Plant Conservation
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Plant Profile

Orange Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum)

This shot is a closeup of the Florida Azalea blossoms, which are fragrant and appear before the leaves expand in the spring. The blossoms are gold/orange/yellow. Photo Credit: Johnny Randall
  • Global Rank: G3 - Vulnerable
  • Legal Status: N/A
  • Family: Ericaceae
  • State: AL, FL, GA, MS
  • Nature Serve ID: 158199
  • Lifeform: Shrub
  • Date Inducted in National Collection: 01/01/1985
Description:

This species is an incredibly popular garden plant. It is known for its pleasant fragrance and its brightly colored flowers which range from cream to orange with red striping. It is widely available at plant nurseries in the south and at online stores. Not much is known about this plant in the wild, but it has been well studies by azalea breeders who have used it to produce extremely popular hybrids.

Where is Orange Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum) located in the wild?

Habitat:

Riparian habitats

Distribution:

Alabama, Florida (12 counties), Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina

States & Provinces:

Orange Azalea can be found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi

Which CPC Partners conserve Orange Azalea (Rhododendron austrinum)?

  • Polly Hill Arboretum

    Not Sponsored
    Assigned 03/29/19

  • The North Carolina Arboretum

    Sponsored
    Sponsors Add
    Donor Acknowledgment - In the Works
    Assigned 04/22/24

  • The Jones Center at Ichauway

    Not Sponsored
    Assigned 04/22/24
    • CPC's Plant Sponsorship Program provides long term stewardship of rare plants in our National Collection. We are so grateful for all our donors who have made the Plant Sponsorship Program so successful. We are in the process of acknowledging all our wonderful plant sponsorship donors on our website. This is a work in progress and will be updated regularly.

    Conservation Actions

    Nature Serve Biotics
    • 05/02/2017

    Regional endemic; pressure on habitat. Locally common in northern FL, rare in GA, AL, and MS.

    • 01/01/2010

    Deer browsing (Jett 2002)

    • 01/01/2010

    Not known.

    • 01/01/2010

    None known.

    • 01/01/2010

    None known.

    • 01/01/2010

    Information is needed for all aspects of this species ecology and biology in the wild.

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    Nomenclature
    Taxon Rhododendron austrinum
    Authority (Small) Rehd.
    Family Ericaceae
    CPC Number 3734
    ITIS 23705
    USDA RHAU
    Duration Perennial
    Common Names Florida flame azalea | honeysuckle azalea | orange azalea | Southern yellow azalea | Florida azalea
    Associated Scientific Names Rhododendron austrinum | Azalea austrina
    Distribution Alabama, Florida (12 counties), Georgia, Mississippi, and North Carolina
    State Rank
    State State Rank
    Alabama S2S3
    Florida S3
    Georgia S3
    Mississippi S2S3
    Ecological Relationships

    Photos

    This shot is a closeup of the Florida Azalea blossoms, which are fragrant and appear before the leaves expand in the spring. The blossoms are gold/orange/yellow. Photo Credit: Johnny Randall
    Pollinators
    Common Name Name in Text Association Type Source InteractionID
    Butterflies & Moths
    Butterflies Confirmed Pollinator Link
    Butterflies Confirmed Pollinator Link
    Birds
    Hummingbirds Hummingbirds Confirmed Pollinator Link

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