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Some Rhododendrons of
Mustila
1. This Rhododendron is perhaps the most famous of the plants of
Mustila. It was collected 1930
in Hozan (now Pungsan), North Korea (40°49'N,
126°59'E, 1200 m), sent to the arboretum by the
Japanese forest research institute in Korea, as Rhododendron chrysanthum (Rh. aureum),
and described by the Swedish botanist Tor Nitzelius as Rhododendron brachycarpum ssp.
tigerstedtii, after
the introducer, Dr. C. G. Tigerstedt. The subspecies status is now
questioned by plant taxonomists, but the strain is famous for its
extreme hardiness.
2. Another rarity special to Arboretum Mustila is Rhododendron aureum var. hypopitys,
the taller and larger-leaved woodland variety of the Far-eastern alpine
species Rhododendron aureum.
It was introduced to Finland from Mt. Shaman, one of the northernmost
tops of the Sikhote Alin
Mountains, during the Finnish-Soviet expedition to River Amur region,
1976, and planted to Mustila
in 1980. It has been winter-hardy even in Kuusamo (NE Finland) but it
is shy to flower and
susceptible to late spring frosts.
3. The rhodora (Rhododendron canadense), hardiest
of the wild azaleas, as well as the earliest to flower.
4. Rhododendron catawbiense,
the hardiest of the American wild rhododendrons, is a parent
to countless "ironclad" cultivars. This is the wild form of the
species, collected near the top
of Roan Mountain, North Carolina.
5. Rhododendron dauricum is
native to Siberia and Far East. In Mustila it is among the earliest
rhododendrons to bloom, often in early May.
6. Royal azalea (Rhododendron
schlippenbachii) is native to Mandshuria and Korea and highly
appreciated
even in milder climates. It seems to favour sandier and more alkaline
soils than rhododendrons in general.
7. Pinkshell azalea (Rhododendron
vaseyi), like many wild azaleas, is native to eastern
United States.
8. 'Cunningham's White' is a classic Rhododendron
caucasicum hybrid bred in mid-19th century Scotland.
It is popular in Finland but properly hardy only under snow
cover.
9. An old hybrid of Rhododendron
canadense and Rhododendron
japonicum, Rhododendron
x fraseri
was nearly forgotten when it was rediscovered by Finnish nurserymen in
Mustila in 1980's. It is very
hardy and the orchid-like flowers are also interesting.
10. This primrose-yellow Tigerstedtii hybrid represents the best of the
Helsinki Univeristy breeding
program of hardy yellow rhododendrons, begun in 1995.
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