Rhododendron kaempferi × yedoense var. poukhanense (Torch azalea)

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Rhododendron kaempferi × yedoense var. poukhanense

Torch azalea

Kingdom	Plantae	Plants, but not fungi, lichens, or algae
Subkingdom	Tracheobionta	Vascular plants—plants with a “circulatory system” for delivering water and nutrients
Division	Magnoliophyta	Flowering plants, also known as angiosperms
Class	Magnoliopsida	Dicotyledons—plants with two initial seed leaves
Subclass	Asteridae	A large class that encompasses asters
Order	Ericales	Tea, persimmon, blueberry, Brazil nut, azalea, many others
Family	Ericaceae	Heath or heather family
Genus	Rhododendron	From Greek rhodos, “rose,” and dendron, “tree”
Species	kaempferi	Named for explorer and botanist Engelbert Kaempfer
×	yedoense
var.	poukhanense

About plant names...

This azalea cultivar, one of dozens or even hundreds created by enthusiasts, is a cross between Rhododendron kaempferi and Rhododendron yedoense var. poukhanense, both of which are described below:

In 1690 Mr. Engelbert Kaempfer, a merchant from Holland introduced this species and other Japanese plants to Holland. R. kaempferi, called after him was imported again by Prof. Sargent to the USA in 1892, and then to England. After that to Europe, and here it proved to be hardy, and many hybridisers started to cross with it. The last thing I will mention is that the R. yedoense var. poukhanense from Korea is very hardy and so much used for hybridisation in the USA and in Europe. The seeds were imported first by Mr. J. Jack in 1905 to the Arnold Arboretum in Boston.^[1]

(Note that azaleas are members of the rhododendron family.) This cultivar is one of many referred to as torch azaleas. I couldn't find a description of this hybrid.

Online References:

Www.hirsutum.info

Www.rosebay.org

Scholar.lib.vt.edu

¹From The Story of Hybridization of Deciduous Azaleas in Western Europe, by Walter Schmalscheidt

Rhododendron kaempferi × yedoense var. poukhanense description by Thomas H. Kent, last updated 25 May 2020.

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 3½ × 2½' (1.2 × 0.8 m)

5/15/2010 · Garden in the Woods, Framingham, Massachusetts
≈ 8 × 5" (19 × 13 cm)