Rhododendron albrechtii (Albrecht's azalea, "Murasakiyashiotsutsuji")

Japanese name: ムラサキヤシオツツジ （紫八入躑躅）
Scientific name: Rhododendron albrechtii

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub 1–2 m tall, found at forest edges and similar places.
Young branches bear pale brown hairs and glandular hairs.
The leaves are simple and alternate, clustered at the branch tips, 4–11 cm long and 3–6 cm wide, obovate to elliptic, thin in texture, with fine teeth on the margin that end in hairs.
The leaf stalk is 0.1–0.3 cm long.
It flowers at the same time as the leaves unfold, with 1–4 flowers at the branch tips.
The flowers are reddish purple, 4 cm across, and the corolla is broadly funnel-shaped with 5 lobes.
There are 10 stamens, of which the lower 5 protrude out of the flower.
The fruit is a capsule densely covered with glandular hairs.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
The rate of rooting is poor, but propagation by cuttings is also possible.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained, moisture-retentive, fertile acidic soil.
Avoid dry places, or use mulch or similar to prevent the base of the plant from drying out.
For potted plants, from spring to autumn it is best placed in partial shade out of the afternoon sun and direct summer sunlight, and from autumn to spring in a sunny spot sheltered from cold wind; for plants in the ground, a place shaded by deciduous trees is good.
For potted plants, from autumn to spring water thoroughly when the soil surface dries, and in midsummer water twice a day, in the cooler morning and evening, wetting the leaves as well.
For plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient except in summer; in summer water in the cool morning or evening so that the leaves are wetted as well, and in winter, if dry weather continues, water in the morning on a warm day.
Fertilize three times in total: fertilizer in winter, fertilizer after flowering, and in autumn, applying organic fertilizer or slow-release compound fertilizer with equal amounts of the three components around the plant.
Do not prune; at most, rub off buds in early summer after flowering to tidy the shape of the tree.
Pick off spent flowers frequently.

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