Rhododendron ponticum subsp. ponticum
Poisonous plant
Environmental Weed (2024)
Common names
rhododendron
Family
Ericaceae
Flora category
Vascular – Exotic
Structural class
Trees & Shrubs - Dicotyledons
NVS code
The National Vegetation Survey (NVS) Databank is a physical archive and electronic databank containing records of over 94,000 vegetation survey plots - including data from over 19,000 permanent plots. NVS maintains a standard set of species code abbreviations that correspond to standard scientific plant names from the Ngä Tipu o Aotearoa - New Zealand Plants database.
RHOPON
Conservation status
Not applicable
Habitat
Terrestrial.
Detailed description
Large evergreen shrub to 6 m high with light lilac-pink to pinkish purple flowers and dark green leaves. Can set down roots from its barnches.
Similar taxa
Rhododendron ponticum is the only rhododendron in NZ to sucker (i.e., sets down roots from its branches).
Flowering
October, November, December
Flower colours
Violet/Purple
Propagation technique
Perennial. 12 years before seeding but prolific annual seed. Dark dense canopy. Outbreeder (Melanie Newfield, 1996). Reproduces by seed and vegetatively by suckering.
Year naturalised
1958
Origin
SE Europe, Asia minor
Reason for introduction
Ornamental
Tolerances
Grows 0-1800m in the Mediterranean (Owen 1997).
Environmental Weed (2024)
This plant is named in a list of 386 environmental weeds in New Zealand 2024 prepared by DOC. 759 candidate species were considered for inclusion on this new comprehensive list of environmental weeds in New Zealand. The species considered were drawn from published lists of weed species, lists of plants that must be reported or managed by law if observed, existing national and regional programmes and agreements for pest management, and species already managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC). Candidate species were then assessed to see if they were fully naturalised and whether they have more than minor impacts in natural ecosystems. Read the full report here.
Poisonous plant
All rhododendrons are poisonous.