Japanese name: ウラジロコヨウラク（裏白小瓔珞） Scientific name:Rhododendron × kamatae
[Overview]
A deciduous shrub occasionally found at forest edges, in grasslands, and at the margins of wetlands in the mountains.
It is a natural hybrid of Urajiro-yoraku and Ko-yoraku-tsutsuji, with a form intermediate between the two.
It is found in areas where both parents grow together.
A deciduous shrub 1–2 m tall.
The leaves are simple and alternate, but are often clustered in groups of 4–6 at the branch tips.
The upper surface of the leaves bears coarse hairs, like those of Ko-yoraku-tsutsuji.
A short raceme at the branch tip bears several flowers in a bundle-like cluster.
The flowers are slender and bell-shaped like those of Yoraku-tsutsuji, tinged with reddish purple, and hang downward.
[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
Cuttings are also possible, although the rooting rate is poor.
Grow it in a well-drained, moisture-retentive site in sun to partial shade, out of the afternoon sun.
It prefers acidic soil.
