Rhododendron brachycarpum var. brachycarpum f. nemotoanum ("Nemotoshakunage")

Japanese name: ネモトシャクナゲ （根本石楠花）
Scientific name: Rhododendron brachycarpum var. brachycarpum f. nemotoanum

[Overview]
A double-flowered cultivar of Hakusan-shakunage, an evergreen shrub found in a limited area from the Tohoku region to Mt. Nantai in Tochigi.
The leaves are simple and alternate, clustered at the branch tips; they are oblong, thick, and have a rounded or shallowly heart-shaped base.
A short raceme at the branch tip bears clusters of 5–15 flowers.
The flowers are double, 3–4 cm across, white to pale pink, and funnel-shaped to bell-shaped, with green spots on the inner surface of the upper side of the corolla.
The double petals are modified stamens, and the degree of doubling varies.

[History]
It was discovered on Mt. Azuma in Fukushima in 1903 (Meiji 36) by Nakahara Genji, who was then an assistant at Fukushima Normal School (now Fukushima University).
The Japanese name and the cultivar epithet are a dedication to Nemoto Kanji, a teacher at Fukushima Normal School.
The native habitat on Mt. Azuma is designated a national natural monument, and the native habitat on Mt. Adatara is designated a Fukushima natural monument.

[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings or grafting.
It prefers fertile, acidic soil that is well drained and well ventilated.
Avoid dry sites, or mulch to keep the base of the plant from drying out.
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 protected from cold wind; in the ground, a spot in the shade of deciduous trees is good.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries from autumn to spring, and in midsummer water twice a day, in the cool of 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 of morning or evening so that the leaves are wetted too, and in winter, if dry weather continues, water in the morning on a warm day.
Apply fertilizer three times in total, in winter, after flowering as thanks fertilizer, and in autumn, using organic fertilizer or a slow-release chemical fertilizer with equal amounts of the three main components, around the plant.
Do not prune; adjust the shape of the tree by removing excess buds in spring to early summer.
Remove spent flowers promptly.
Pests and diseases include root rot, gray mold, brown spot, flower blight (sclerotinia), pestalotia disease, aphids, scale insects, leafrollers, armyworms and shoot borers.

[Notes]
It is the prefectural flower of Fukushima.

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