Emu Valley Newsletter – November 2016

• Date: 6th November 2016
• author: Maurie Kupsch

RHODODENDRON MAOERENSE

A few years ago we were very pleased to receive a packet of rhodo seed marked R. huianum, a number of these seeds grew and were duly planted out. A couple of years went by then flowers began to appear, these were pale mauve with very sticky flower stalks but with no large calyx which R. huianum was supposed to have. More plants flowered with two of them having beautiful luminescent pinkish mauve flowers.
In October 2013 we enjoyed a short visit from Steve Hootman of the Rhododendron Species Foundation and Botanical Garden Washington U.S.A. and as we walked around Emu Valley we came upon our so called R. huianum Steve was able to confirm that our plants definitely were not R. huianum but in fact R. maoerense.

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