Scientific Name:
Rhododendron
'Purple Splendor'
Pronunciation:
roe-doe-DEN-drun
Common Name:
purple splendor azalea
Family Name:
Ericaceae
Plant Type:
Broadleaf evergreen
Key ID Features:
Small evergreen; leaves narrowly elliptic, up to 6cm long, dark green; flowers vivid reddish-purple with darker blotch should be hose in hose (specimen shown and on campus has the outer hose is partially formed).
Habit:
Spreading
Form:
Oval - horizontal, Round
Texture:
Medium - fine
Mature Height:
0.7 - 1.3m
Mature Spread:
1.0 - 1.5m
Growth Rate:
Slow
Origin:
Garden origin, North America (R. yedoense var. poukhanense x R. 'Hexe')
Hardiness Rating:
Zone 5: (-29 to -23 °C)
Exposure:
Part sun/part shade, Filtered shade
Soil/Growing Medium:
Acidic, Humus rich, Well-drained
Water Use:
Moderate
Landscape Uses:
Mixed shrub border, Perennial border, Sheared hedge, Spring interest, Woodland margin
Additional Info:
Google. A Gable hybrid. Note: this cultivar should have "flower in flower" (or hose in hose) arrangement. Not to be confused with R. 'Purple Splendour' (often misspelled in the US) which has dark purple blooms and almost black blotches.
Leaf Morphology:
Form:
Simple
Arrangement:
Alternate
Texture/Venation:
Leathery, Pinnate venation
Surfaces:
Lustrous, Pubescent
Colour in Summer:
Dark-green
Colour in Fall:
Dark-green
Shapes:
Elliptic
Apices:
Acute
Bases:
Cuneate
Margins:
Entire
Inflorescence Type:
Flowers clustered, Floriferous
Flower Morphology:
Flowers perfect
Number Of Petals:
10
Corolla Shape:
Funnelform
Ovary Position:
Superior
Colour (petals):
Showy, Purple, Red
Flower Scent:
Fragrant
Flower Time at Peak:
Apr, May
Fruit Type:
Aborted (hybrids) or absent
Fruit Colour:
Fruiting Time:
Additional Info:
Fruit insignificant,
Bark Morphology:
Lightly fissured, Multi-stem trunk
Bark or Stem Colour:
Grey, Tan
Maintenance:
Medium
Pest Susceptibility:
Fungal leaf spot, Wilt
