Native Talk Tuesday #10

The plant featured in today's Native Talk Tuesday is Rododendron macrophyllum, commonly known as the Pacific Rhododendron. This type of Rhododendron produces pink flowers from May to July, depending on elevation and latitude. Almost all Pacific Rhododendrons in the forests will be scraggly instead of the bushy rhododendrons seen in many yards across the Willamette Valley. This type of plant is found from the coast to middle elevations and range from northern California to the Canadian border.

Although more widely spread in Oregon, the Pacific Rhododendron is the state flower of Washington. This species of rhododendron readily sprouts after a clear-cut or forest fire, bringing color to cleared or burned areas.