You can find lots of good photos by Douglas Justice in his April 2021 in the Garden - UBC Botanical Garden blog. I posted the first ones he mentioned, Rhododendron praevernum and R. barbatum, last month at Mid-March, 2021 | UBC Botanical Garden Forums, so I got to do ones that were new to me today. I think this is R. pachytrichum, next to a very tall R. barbatum. This is not supposed to be new to me, but I have not learned the name at all yet. R. lutescens at Kingdon Ward Way (this isn't new to me - I recognized one all by myself in Stanley Park, having learned it here). This group is on Staunton north of Upper Asian Way. I think the mauvy-coloured flowers are the same species. Rhododendron principis must have the softest abaxial (leaf underside) surface of any plant. It didn't seem to rub off, so I wondered if that was indumentum, but it seems to be, according to Rhododendron principis - Trees and Shrubs Online, which says "lower surface covered with a white to fawn two-layered indumentum, the upper layer spongy, lanate-tomentose, composed of ramiform hairs, the lower compacted". I probably am not successful here in showing you how wonderful this feels. The flowers are a little past their prime, but that was irrelevant.
Time out for my favourite rhododendron of the day: R. parmulatum 'Ocelot'. I have seen this before, posted one photo and went on about how it was such an incredible pale yellow that I could not capture in my photo. I didn't think of that at all today, and I have no idea if the colour here is representing what I saw. I only noticed the great purple markings on the outside of the flowers. That photo is at March 13, 2015 - Five Rhododendrons | UBC Botanical Garden Forums, and if you go to look, check the next posting of Daniel Mosquin's photo of R. barbatum, in which he totally captures the vibrance of the colour in those flowers.
Back to the blog, for my second favourite of the day - Rhododendron leucaspis, in the Asian section of the alpine garden. This has today's best all over hairs.
"This has today's best all over hairs." I guess the name Rhododendron hirsutum must already have been taken.
I know. I always feel bad when some plant doesn't get the best name because some other less worthy plant has taken it.
Here are two rhododendrons that were not in the blog. Rhododendron floribundum. I think I just saw this in Stanley Park yesterday. That's a second one I've learned from my visit. Rhododendron calophytum
First cane across Rhododendron calophytum at the Exbury Gardens in Hampshire many years ago. A very beautiful plant, but very ungainly IMO. Looks like it is of the same habit in Stanley Park Wendy. Brought back happy memories of family visits, so thankyou.
I'm catching up with photos I took last week. Rhododendron floribundum flowers have faded to white, and I didn't recognize it as one I had just posted. This is Rhododendron calophytum var. openshawianum. These flowers have hardly any markings, unlike the R. calophytum I posted just above. Here is another white one: Rhododendron traillianum. Here is an off-white, Rhododendron keiskei 'Ebino'.
I'm not a big fan of red rhododendrons because they all look so similar to me. This is Rhododendron glanduliferum. Edited: That's wrong. It's actually enouraging to learn from @Douglas Justice in posting #21 that this is the same as the ones just below that looked so similar; it's also R. ochraceum. And Rhododendron ochraceum.
Here are two red rhododendrons that I find more distinctive, and I do like they way the flowers don't form tight balls. Rhododendron sanguineum. Rhododendron cinnabarinum, two plants on April 21, and two days later.
Here is Rhododendron augustinii. I just posted photos of R. augustinii 'Electra' (or Electra Group) at (1) Appreciation: - Ted and Mary Greig Rhododendron Garden - the Parks Board 50 | UBC Botanical Garden Forums. I can't tell what distinguishes that from the species here. Rhododendron rigidum seems to have a range of colouring. Rhododendron davidsonianum, with cat-whisker stamens.
What a great way to describe those stamens. I really like R. rigidum too and, in fact, was just introduced to it today.
The flowers of Rhododendron pseudochrysanthum seemed to age as I took the photos. Rhododendron wasonii flowers are not white, though I don't have much memory of the colour, but I included my white jacket in the second photo for contrast.
This is the April blog, so I want to get these posted. It's May already, but the photos were from April 28. There is no logical order to these, just the order in which I saw them. Rhododendron williamsianum, next to the boardwalk. I love the little oval leaves on this, and the bronze new leaves. And the hairy stems and branches. Rhododendron hanceanum (Nanum Group) 'CantonConsul'. I think these were a pale (or should I say "delicate'?) yellow. Rhododendron arboreum var. roseum, with pink flowers and brown indumentum. Rhododendron vernicosum.
I am sure you are familiar with this article, Wendy, but I am sharing the link because I think there are probably others, like me, who would enjoy reading a bit of history about the acquisition of rhodos at the UBC Botanical Garden. It really has come a long way in almost 60 years as your photos attest. Rhododendrons - UBC Botanical Garden
This Rhododendron oligocarpum gets the prize for laziest trunk. Rhododendron oreodoxa var. fargesii Rhododendron campylocarpum subsp. campylocarpum with hairy leaf petioles, but the hairs do not extend onto the leaves. I mentioned somewhere that I thought that was not likely to happen. I guess I was wrong. Hairy pedicels too.
Thanks, Margot. I did come across that article recently, but it's helpful to have the link here. I never thought I would get to the point where I would recognize groups, but I did recognize when I was in the Triflora area and thought they must all be related, but actually, I was seeing so many R. augustinii seemingly all over the place that I thought there must have been a fire sale, though I haven't come across 'Barto Blue'. I either didn't know or didn't remember about the fragrance of two of the species I've posted here. I wonder how many times I'll have to post them before I recognize them.
You're away ahead of me and probably many (most) others here when it comes to recognizing rhodos and rhodo groups.
No, you can read a label as well as I can. Nadia and I had a rule: no label, no photo. I have to really remember a plant and its location before I'll post something for which I don't have the label photographed. Or sometimes I get lucky and a garden person comes along to supply the info. Thanks, @Andy Hill for one of the names I just posted.
Note that both sets of images (#9) are of R. ochraceum. Rhododendron glanduliferum is a larger-leaved shrub (or tree) with large white to pale pink June- or July-borne flowers that smell of wintergreen. There are large plants of R. glanduliferum directly behind this planting of R. ochraceum.
Douglas, thank you for reading this, and for correcting it! And it looks like I have a chance to see the R. glanduliferum flowers soon too. And compare them to R. decorum and R. hemsleyanum, in the same fortunea subsection.
