Rhododendron fortunei seed
LATIN NAME: Rhododendron fortunei
COMMON NAME: Fortune’s Rhododendron
Fortune’s rhododendron is a tall, handsome, evergreen shrub of the warm woodlands, and its big, fragrant, pinkish or white, trumpet-shaped flowers have made it one of the most beautiful of the rhododendrons. It grows as an evergreen shrub or a small tree, reaching up to ten metres or more, with the upright, branching trunk bearing the large, leathery, oblong, dark-green leaves and, in the late spring, the big, fragrant, pinkish or white, trumpet-shaped flowers in the large, rounded clusters, followed by the small, dry, woody capsules of the many fine seeds. It is a species of the flowering shrub in the heath family, and it is native to the eastern China, while it is grown in the mild gardens of the world, and it is known as Fortune’s rhododendron.
Fortune’s rhododendron belongs to the heath family, Ericaceae, and it is a species of the evergreen shrub, native to the eastern China, while it is grown for its big, fragrant flowers, and it is known as Fortune’s rhododendron. It is prized for its large, leathery, dark-green leaves and its big, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers.
Scientific Research & Plant Biotechnology
Fortune’s rhododendron has a real and distinguished place in the research. It has been studied in the horticulture, since its big, fragrant, pinkish or white, trumpet-shaped flowers have made it a celebrated shrub of the mild garden, and researchers have examined its growth, its flowering and its cultivation, while its fragrant bloom has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a shrub of the woodland garden. The plant has also been studied in the botany and the ecology, since it is a native of the warm woodlands of the eastern China, and its relationships, its distribution and its role in the forest have been examined, while the ecology of the rhododendrons of the region has been of continuing interest, and the study of the wild shrubs has been of value to the gardeners. The species has also been studied in the genetics and the breeding, since its forms differ in their size and their flower colour, and the breeders have used the wild species in the raising of the many garden hybrids, while the breeding of the hardier and the more fragrant forms has been of continuing interest. For a shrub of such beauty, Fortune’s rhododendron has a rich and continuing record of study.
Ecological & Economic Value & Wide Applications
Ecologically, Fortune’s rhododendron is a generous shrub of the garden. Its big, fragrant, trumpet-shaped flowers feed the bees and the many insects, and its large, leathery, evergreen leaves give a fine cover and a shelter to the birds through the year. In the woodland garden it holds its broad, glossy leaves with a quiet dignity, and its big, fragrant clusters fill the air of the late spring. It is a shrub that improves with every year in the garden, and it is well worth the patient wait for its first bloom.
Its economic value is real. Fortune’s rhododendron is prized for its big, fragrant bloom and its handsome, leathery foliage, and its beauty has drawn attention in the international horticultural press as a shrub of the woodland garden, while the wild species have been valued by the breeders in the raising of the many garden hybrids. For a grower, Fortune’s rhododendron is a rewarding and beautiful shrub, and for a gardener it brings a big, fragrant, trumpet-shaped bloom to the late-spring garden. The seeds are easy to start — press them gently into the surface of a pot of moist, lime-free compost in the light, keep them lightly watered, and they’ll be sprouting steadily, growing on into a handsome, leathery, fragrant-flowered shrub.
Uses: ornamental. Bonsai.
