Rhododendron kroniae ("Yorakutsutsuji")

Japanese name: ヨウラクツツジ （瓔珞躑躅）
Scientific name: Rhododendron kroniae

[Overview]
A deciduous shrub about 1 m tall, growing in forests in the mountains.
Young branches are at first sparsely covered with short white hairs.
The leaves are simple and alternate, but are often clustered at the branch tips.
The leaves are elliptical, 2–5 cm long and 1–2.5 cm wide, with short glandular hairs on the upper surface and leaf margins, and coarse hairs on the veins of the underside.
The leaf stalk is 0.2–0.5 cm long and bears a few glandular hairs.
A short inflorescence at the branch tip bears 3–10 flowers in a bundle-like cluster.
The flowers are reddish purple and tubular, about 1 cm long, with flower stalks of 1–1.5 m, and hang downward.
The corolla is 4-lobed.
There are 8 stamens.
The flower stalks are sparsely covered with short glandular hairs.
The calyx is 4-lobed, with short glandular hairs sparsely growing on the margin.
The fruit is a spherical capsule 0.3–0.4 cm long that splits into 5.

[Cultivation]
Propagate from seed.
Cuttings are also possible, although the rooting rate is poor.
It suits a well-drained, moisture-retentive site in sun to partial shade, out of the afternoon sun.
It prefers acidic soil.
For potted plants, water thoroughly when the soil surface dries; for plants in the ground, rainfall is sufficient.
Apply slow-release chemical fertilizer placed on the soil in early spring and after flowering.

[Notes]
The Japanese name likens the way the flowers hang to yoraku, the ornamental pendants of Buddhist statues and temples.

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