Upright deciduous shrubs (or small trees in the wild) with rhombic-shaped leaves in whorls of three at the ends of the branches. The flowers (early to mid-spring) are rose-purple and quite attractive. Typically with good fall foliage color. These are good azaleas for the woodland garden in warmer climates but do better with a little more sun (heat) in cooler climates. These are seedlings grown from seed collected wild as R. lagopus var. niphophilum, a taxon closely related to the widespread species R. nudipes and hardly distinguishable from it. I have chosen to accession them as “nudipes alliance” as there is a great deal of confusion over the taxonomy and nomenclature of this group of plants at the current time. This is our first introduction of this taxon. Native to Japan from Honshu south.
1996sd252 YK#0987:RSBG (-10?\R1\4). Grown from seed collected wild as R. lagopus var. niphophilum at 220 ft. on Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu.
1996sd255 YK#0999:RSBG (-5 to –10?\R1\4). Grown from seed collected wild as R. lagopus var. niphophilum at 500 ft. on Oki Island, Shimane Prefecture, Honshu.
2002sd180 Kurashige#1467 Another one of the wonderful and underused “rhombic-three-leaved” deciduous azaleas from Japan. This little-known species is closely related to the more widely grown reticulatum and nudipes. Large rose-purple flowers before or with the newly expanding foliage. Colorful fall foliage, often bright red here in the garden. Very attractive shrubs, best in light shade. Grown from seed collected wild on Honshu. (-5?\R1\4)
