Rhododendron arboreum (possibly hybrid of), EricaceaeToday I went for a walk in the always gorg

Rhododendron arboreum (possibly hybrid of), Ericaceae

Today I went for a walk in the always gorgeous Pollok Country Park to see if any of the rhododendrons part of the extensive collection were already in bloom. Sir John Stirling Maxwell (1866-1956), owner of the estate, was pretty much obsessed with these plants: he funded several botanical expeditions to Asia, contributed with interesting and accurate notes to the Rhododendron Society and bred a number of beautiful hybrids. 

That’s why, although the rhododendron you see in photo ticks all the boxes for the species complex, I can’t just assume it is a pure R. arboreum from original material collected in the Himalayas. I should really get in touch with the gardeners who work there to see if they can direct me towards any archival data about the plants currently existing there. I’d really like to know the exact history of these individuals, as I’ve already tried digging about a Clematis tangutica and a Parthenocissus tricuspidata without much success.

Anyway, the tree rhododendron is the largest in the genus: the tallest ever recorded was about 33 metres, although it generally settles for less than half that height and can grow into a sprawling shrub with thick, contorted trunks. It is very variable in its morphological aspects and, as I mentioned above, it forms a species complex with numerous subspecies, encountered in the Himalayan region down to Myanmar. In its native area it has a variety of traditional culinary and medicinal uses, but let’s not forget its toxicity is well known and recorded.  

Definitely the highlight of my day, I’m so happy I got to see it in full bloom!