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Ericaceae
Pink Swamp Honeysuckle
Rhododendron viscosum var. roseum
Sweet persistence in difficult terrain.
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Genus
- Rhododendron
- Native to
- eastern United States
- Bloom season
- Late Spring, Early Summer
- Type
- deciduous shrub
- Height
- 150–300 cm
- Sunlight
- full sun to part shade
- Soil
- acidic, moist to wet
- Water
- high; loves wet soils
- Hardiness
- 3–9
- Lifespan
- perennial shrub; long-lived
Did you know
- The species name 'viscosum' means sticky — the flower tubes are covered in glandular hairs that are tacky to the touch.
- The intensely sweet, clove-like fragrance can perfume an entire wetland and is detectable from a hundred meters away.
- Despite the name 'honeysuckle', it is a true rhododendron and azalea — not related to Lonicera honeysuckles.
- It is one of the last native azaleas to bloom, flowering well after all other species have finished.
- Swallowtail butterflies are among its most effective pollinators, their long proboscises reaching the deep nectar tubes.
Color meanings
Pink
sweetness found in unexpected places
White
pure resilience