Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense) — Plotwright

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Catawba rhododendron

Habit (mature) · NPS Photo / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain

Limited coverage

Catawba rhododendron

Rhododendron catawbiense

A large, rounded, multi-stemmed broadleaf evergreen shrub of the southern Appalachians — typically 6-10 feet tall (rarely to 20) with glossy dark green leaves and showy compact terminal trusses of 15-20 funnel-shaped lavender-pink flowers in mid to late spring. Native from Virginia to Kentucky south to Georgia and Alabama, where it forms dense thickets on rocky high-elevation slopes and ridges. Prefers cool summers, acidic moist-but-well-drained soil, and part shade; all parts are highly toxic if ingested.

Native: 9 US states

Review: Source-backed

Climate fit: moderate (54/100)

Structure

Focal point

Border

Light

Part sun / Part shade

Water

Consistent moisture

Mature size

72-120" tall · 96" apart

Hardy in zones

4a-8b

very cold to frosty winters

Summer heat range

Cool-Warm

cool to warm summers Interim Plotwright tier until the plant AHS range is authored.

Native in Illinois

No

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Native across 9 US states and Canadian provinces — a wide-ranging part of North America's plant communities.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Cold hardiness

Now

Zone 6b

USDA

Chicago, IL · 1991-2020 average annual coldest day

Source: USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map 2023 (1991-2020 climatology) via ArcGIS FeatureServer

Well-suited

2050

Zone 7b

Plotwright

Your zone + climate-model shift · SSP3-7.0 (regional rivalry)

Well-suited

In plain terms: cold winters — coldest nights typically around -3°F.

✓

Well-suited today and still thriving in 2050.

Heat tolerance

°C

°F

Loading current AHS heat-zone and plant heat-fit data at your coordinates…

Where this plant fits

Suitable across 40 ecoregions — 35 climate-resilient through 2070 · 5 suited today. Best matches first.

Appalachian mixed mesophytic forests

Appalachian-Blue Ridge forests

Arizona Mountains forests

Blue Mountains forests

Canadian Aspen forests and parklands

Central Pacific Northwest coastal forests

Central Tallgrass prairie

Central-Southern Cascades Forests

Colorado Rockies forests

Cross-Timbers savanna-woodland

Sources & citations

Cite this page

For lesson plans, articles, or research that uses this page. To cite a single upstream fact instead, use its specific source listed below.

Plotwright. (2026, May 17). Catawba rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense). Retrieved 2026, June 5, from https://plotwright.garden/plants/catawba-rhododendron

Sources for every fact

Every fact on this page traces to a source. 18 fields cited — 18 source-backed.

Missouri Botanical Garden PlantFinder

Botanical research database

Backs 17 fields

Identity

Summary

Plant type

Light

Moisture

Hardiness

Heat zone

Size

Spacing

Habit

Design roles

Seasonal interest

Growth stages

Lifecycle

Regional guidance

Success tips

Designer notes

Wikimedia Commons

Photo · Public domain (NPS Photo)

Backs 1 field

Image

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Native Plant Database

Botanical research database

Community photos

The photos above are our reviewed reference set, curated for accuracy.

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