Japanese name: フジツツジ（藤躑躅） Scientific name:Rhododendron tosaense
[Overview]
A semi-evergreen shrub 1–2 m tall, growing in the low mountain zone near the coast and similar places.
Young branches and petioles are densely covered with pale brown bristles.
Leaves are simple and alternate, and there are two types, spring leaves and summer leaves.
Spring leaves are oblong, 1.5–3 cm long and 0.5–1 cm wide, with white hairs on both surfaces and the margins.
Summer leaves are narrowly oblanceolate, 0.8–1.5 cm long and 2–3 mm wide, and somewhat thick.
1–3 flowers are borne at the branch tips.
The flowers are wisteria-colored; the corolla is funnel-shaped, about 3 cm across, and 5-lobed, with dark spots on the inside of the upper lobe.
There are 5 stamens.
The fruit is a narrowly oblong-ovate capsule 7–10 mm long, with many brown hairs.
[Cultivation]
Propagate by cuttings.
It prefers a sunny, well-drained site.
It is easy to grow.
[Notes]
The Japanese name comes from the wisteria-colored flowers, and because its branching is delicate it is also called Men-tsutsuji, in contrast to On-tsutsuji.
