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Smooth Azalea

Rhododendron arborescens

Found in rocky riversides, wooded stream banks, swamps, high elevation forests, shrub balds. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

90
Keystone

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
8–20 feet
Spread
8–20 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 14 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
May to July
Fruiting season
July to October

Recorded in 13 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 4

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

Northern hardwood forests

High mountain forests of beech, yellow birch and sugar maple, including boulderfield forests.

Mountain balds

Treeless grassy or shrubby summits and ridges in the high mountains.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 150 animals.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

57CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Rhododendron

  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Acronicta tritonaGray Dagger, Triton Dagger
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Silkmoth, Promethea Moth
  • Caloptilia violacellaTick-Trefoil Caloptilia
  • Catocala andromedaeAndromeda Underwing
Show all 57
  • Celastrina luciaLucia Azure
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Darapsa choerilusAzalea Sphinx
  • Darapsa versicolorHydrangea Sphinx
  • Datana majorMajor Datana, Azalea Caterpillar
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
  • Dysstroma citrataDark Marbled Carpet
  • Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
  • Eupsilia sidusSidus Sallow
  • Fishia illocataWandering Brocade
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Lithomoia germanaAmerican Brindle
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Olethreutes permundanaRaspberry Leafroller
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Papilio troilusSpicebush Swallowtail
  • Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
  • Polia purpurissataPurple Arches
  • Polygonia progneGray Comma
  • Probole nepiasariaHeath Probole
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Rheumaptera hastataSpear-Marked Black Moth, Spear Mark
  • Rheumaptera prunivorataFerguson's Scallop Shell, Cherry Scallop Shell
  • Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Synanthedon rhododendriRhododendron Borer
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Epinotia septemberana
  • Paralobesia rhoifructana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
24BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Rhododendron

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Rhododendron

  • Andrena carolina
  • Andrena cornelli
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
5BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Rhododendron

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Ericaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4a–7b
Soil pH
Acidic
Flower color
Yellow, pink or white
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Several stems
Foliage color
Dark green
Fruit begins
July
Fruit ends
October

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Sweet Azalea

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS4
Global rankG4G5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources