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Rhododendron arboreum

Common name:		Family:	Ericaceae
Author:	Sm.	Botanical references:	11, 51, 200
Synonyms:
Known Hazards:	The leaves are poisonous[51, 240]. The flowers can cause intoxication in large quantities[183].
Range:	E. Asia - Himalayas to Sri Lanka.
Habitat:	Forests and shrubberies with Pieris ovalifolia and Quercus incana, 1500 - 3600 metres from Pakistan to S.E. Tibet in the Himalayas[51].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	1	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Epithets:	From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets
	arboreum = tree like;
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Ericales. Heath family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	India; Nepal

Physical Characteristics

An evergreen shrub growing to 12m by 3m . It is hardy to zone 7. It is in leaf all year, in flower from April to May. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 1/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid soils and can grow in very acid soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Woodland, Secondary, Dappled Shade.

Edible Uses

Flowers; Leaves.

The tender leaves are used as a cooked vegetable[105, 158, 183]. Caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.
Flowers - raw or cooked[272]. A sweet-sour taste, they are said to make a good sub-acid jelly[183]. Th flowers are sometimes simply pickled by adding salt and chili[272]. Caution is advised, large quantities can cause intoxication[2, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Astringent; Poultice; Stomachic.

The young leaves are astringent and poultice[158]. They are made into a pasteand then applied to the forehead in the treatment of headaches[240, 272].
The juice of the bark is used in the treatment of coughs, diarrhoea and dysentery[272].
A decoction of the flowers is used to check a tendency to vomit, especially if there is also a loss of appetite[272]. The juice of the flowers is used in the treatment of menstrual disorders[272]. The petals are eaten to assist the removal of any animal bones that have become stuck in the throat[262].

Other Uses

Charcoal; Fuel; Repellent; Wood.

The juice of the leaves is spread over cots and beds to get rid of bed lice[272].
Wood - soft, even grained, seasons badly. Used in turnery, it can also be used to make charcoal and for fuel[51, 158]. Th wood is much employed in Nepal where it is used for making household implements, building small houses and fences[272]. Planks of the wood are carved to make boxes, cupboards and other furniture[272]. It is a very good fuel, burning well with a long-lasting heat - overcollection of the wod for fuel, and also for making charcoal, has become a cause for conservation concern[272].

Cultivation details

Succeeds in most humus rich lime free soils except those of a dry arid nature or heavy or clayey[1]. Prefers a peaty or well-drained sandy loam[1]. Succeeds in sun or shade, the warmer the climate the more shade a plant requires[200]. Requires a pH between 4.5 and 5.5[200].
Hardy to between -10 and -15°c, the pink flowered form is hardier than the red[184].
Succeeds in a woodland though, because of its surface-rooting habit[200], it does not compete well with surface-rooting trees[1]. Plants need to be kept well weeded, they dislike other plants growing over or into their root system, in particular they grow badly with ground cover plants, herbaceous plants and heathers[200].
There are many named varieties selected for their ornamental value[200].
Plants form a root ball and are very tolerant of being transplanted, even when quite large, so long as the root ball is kept intact[200].
This plant is the national flower of Nepal[51]. The flowers are sold in local markets and used as offerings to the Gods and Godesses[272].
A very ornamental plant[1], it is not very hardy outdoors in much of Britain, but grows well in the milder areas of the country[1].
Plants in this genus are notably susceptible to honey fungus[200].

Propagation

Seed - best sown in a greenhouse as soon as it is ripe in the autumn and given artificial light. Alternatively sow the seed in a lightly shaded part of the warm greenhouse in late winter or in a cold greenhouse in April. Surface-sow the seed and do not allow the compost to become dry[200]. Pot up the seedlings when they are large enough to handle and grow on in a greenhouse for at least the first winter.
Layering in late July. Takes 15 - 24 months[78].
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, August in a frame. Difficult[78].

Cultivars

'': There are some named forms for this species, but these have been developed for their ornamental value and not for their other uses. Unless you particularly require the special characteristics of any of these cultivars, we would generally recommend that you grow the natural species for its useful properties. We have, therefore, not listed the cultivars in this database[K].

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for the family Ericaceae.

[CHINA] Draft Data for parts of family Very detailed botanical/identification info. from the Flora of China.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[11] Bean. W. Trees and Shrubs Hardy in Great Britain. Vol 1 - 4 and Supplement. Murray 1981
A classic with a wealth of information on the plants, but poor on pictures.

[51] Polunin. O. and Stainton. A. Flowers of the Himalayas. Oxford Universtiy Press 1984
A very readable and good pocket guide (if you have a very large pocket!) to many of the wild plants in the Himalayas. Gives many examples of plant uses.

[78] Sheat. W. G. Propagation of Trees, Shrubs and Conifers. MacMillan and Co 1948
A bit dated but a good book on propagation techniques with specific details for a wide range of plants.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[158] Gupta. B. L. Forest Flora of Chakrata, Dehra Dun and Saharanpur. Forest Research Institute Press 1945
A good flora for the middle Himalayan forests, sparsly illustrated. Not really for the casual reader.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[184] Phillips. R. & Rix. M. Shrubs. Pan Books 1989 ISBN 0-330-30258-2
Excellent photographs and a terse description of 1900 species and cultivars.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[262] Vanderplank. J. Passion Flowers Cassell. London. 1991 ISBN 0-304-34076-6
An excellent book on passion flowers, giving information on hardy species and how to grow the less hardy in greenhouses etc. A bit lacking at times on specific information on hardyness. Excellent photographs.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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