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Punctatum
(Rhododendron carolinianum)

Slow growing broadleaf evergreen shrub, upright and spreading with a rounded shape. Medium-sized leaves are thick, leathery with elliptical shape, 2" to 3" long. Glossy, dark green leaves have brown-dotted undersides with small scales. Petioles are often reddish-brown, stems are red, purple, and green.

Blooms in May before most large-leaved rhododendrons. Individual flowers are 1.5" across and are borne in clusters of 5 to 10 flowers, 3" diameter. Color varies from pale pink to dark pink.

Native to the the mountains of North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

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