Pink Azalea

Rhododendron periclymenoides

Found in moist to dry slopes and streambanks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height: 4–10 feet
Spread: 4–5 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Space about 4.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 5 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rhododendron periclymenoides — bloom photograph — Judy Gallagher · CC BY 2.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: March to May
Fruiting season: September to October

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Recorded in 9 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 3

Harvey Joiner, Woods Scene: tall beeches in a moist Kentucky woodland, light falling through a closed canopy onto a damp forest floor. Regional view: the painting does not name the exact site. Shown: Kentucky beech woods (Harvey Joiner, Louisville painter of Kentucky beech forests; the painting does not name the site), a neighboring state.Woods Scene, Harvey Joiner, c. 1880-1920. Public domain. Source record.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Dry forests and woodlands

Forests and open woodlands on dry ridges and slopes, often oak or pine.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 72 animals.

Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta carolinensis
Birds. 2 shared habitats
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Wood Thrush
Hylocichla mustelina
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Worm-eating Warbler
Helmitheros vermivorum
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Sphyrapicus varius
Birds. 2 shared habitats
Yellow-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus americanus
Birds. 2 shared habitats
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Common Yellowthroat
Geothlypis trichas
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Double-crested Cormorant
Phalacrocorax auritus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Northern Parula
Parula americana
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Olive-sided Flycatcher
Contopus cooperi
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Pine Warbler
Dendroica pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red Crossbill
Loxia curvirostra
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-throated Sparrow
Zonotrichia albicollis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
White-winged Crossbill
Loxia leucoptera
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Yellow-throated Warbler
Dendroica dominica
Birds. 1 shared habitat

Widespread birds also seen here (38)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

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

3BirdsRecorded eating Rhododendron in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Ruffed GrouseBuds and fruit. 2 diet records
Pine Grosbeak1 diet record
Snow Bunting1 diet record

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. 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

Birds that eat Rhododendron 3

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Buds and fruit. 2 diet records
Pine Grosbeak
Pinicola enucleator
1 diet record
Snow Bunting
Plectrophenax nivalis
1 diet record

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Ericaceae
Hardiness: Zones 4–9
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Pink, purple or white
Growth rate: Moderate
Growth habit: Several stems
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: September
Fruit ends: October

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late March to May” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Pink, purple or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differ)
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “September” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Fruit ends · “October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 4–9” · Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder
Height · “4–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Virginia Cooperative Extension, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “4–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)

Also known as

Pinxter Bloom; Pinxter Flower; Rhododendron nudiflorum; Wild Azalea

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Pink Azalea

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Birds that eat Rhododendron 3

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Rhododendron