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About Rhododendra

Rhododendra.com is a free online reference for rhododendron species, hybrids, and cultivars.

The site brings together plant names, parentage, taxonomy, photographs, and other useful information so growers, hybridizers, photographers, researchers, and rhododendron enthusiasts can explore the genus more easily.

Rhododendra currently contains more than 17,000 plant entries and more than 14,000 photographs. Entries include relationships between plants, such as parents, children, siblings, and taxonomic groupings. The goal is to make this information searchable, useful, and easier to build on over time.

Why Rhododendra exists

Rhododendra began after members of the rhododendron community told me about the Hirsutum project and asked whether a modern resource could help keep this kind of information available.

Hirsutum was an important rhododendron reference, built through years of work by Herman Van Ree, Marjo Schlenter, and many contributors. Rhododendra is not Hirsutum, and the code for this site was built from scratch, but this project was strongly inspired by the value Hirsutum provided to the community.

What Rhododendra is being built to become

Rhododendra is more than a static list of plant names and photos.

The long-term goal is to build a living reference for the genus, with room for information such as:

This site is not meant to replace existing books, journals, nursery catalogues, chapter knowledge, or other excellent online rhododendron resources. It is meant to complement them by making information easier to search, compare, and preserve.

Accuracy and contributions

There’s a substantial amount of data on this site, and you may occasionally stumble on something that is wrong or outdated. If you want to get involved in improving the photos/data, ask for a contributor account. For minor data edits, you can contact me

Acknowledgements

Rhododendra owes a debt of gratitude to the Hirsutum project, especially Herman Van Ree, Marjo Schlenter, and the many contributors whose work helped make Hirsutum such a valuable rhododendron resource.

Special thanks to Sean Rafferty, who first described Hirsutum to me, explained its value to the community, and encouraged me to consider what could be rebuilt.

Thanks also to Ken Webb, Tony and Caroline Marquardt, and the Victoria Rhododendron Society for their generosity, advice, encouragement, and help introducing me more deeply to the world of rhododendrons.

Support Rhododendra

Rhododendra is free to use, but it is not free to build, operate, improve, or protect.

If you value the site and would like to help support its continued development, please visit: rhododendra.com/donate