Last week, I started an eerie botanical series featuring dangerous or spooky plants with this post about the Autumnal Croci. This week, we’re highlighting the not so innocent rhododendron growing under the front window! There it sits, just growing like it is a beautiful and guilt-free part of your front yard, but under the pretty face could there lie a darker side (Was that a rhetorical question)?
There are more than 250 species of Rhododendrons, family Ericaceae, in Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. The genus is highly prized, of course, for the spectacular flowers it produces in spring or fall. They are so well loved, there are literally tens of thousands of hybrids. Many do not know that azaleas are considered a subgroup of the genus.
But rather than extolling the many virtues of this group of high performers, I would rather do a little digging into the species and see what dirty little secrets we can uncover. I have an anonymous source in the gardening community who informed me all parts of the plant contain grayanotoxins! Those grayanotoxins might mess with “non-essential” parts of your body like your cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, respiratory and reproductive systems. Honey containing rhodo pollen, also known as mad honey, cost Pompey dearly.
Normally, the density of rhododendron flowers is too low in any given area to cause a problem, so it should not raise a great alarm, however you might not sleep so well tonight knowing rhododendron is lurking outside your front door.
Josh Steffen, Horticulture and Facilities Manager
Miss any of Josh’s prior blog posts? Click below to read more:
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- September 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- October 2019
- September 2019
- August 2019
- July 2019
- June 2019
- May 2019
- April 2019
- March 2019
- February 2019
- January 2019
- December 2018
- November 2018
- October 2018
- September 2018
- August 2018
- July 2018
- June 2018
- May 2018
- April 2018
- March 2018
- February 2018
- January 2018
- December 2017
- November 2017
- October 2017
- September 2017
- August 2017
- July 2017
- June 2017
- May 2017
- April 2017
- March 2017
- February 2017
- January 2017
- December 2016
- November 2016
- October 2016
- September 2016
- August 2016
- July 2016
- April 2016
- March 2016
- February 2016
- January 2016
- December 2015
- October 2015
- May 2015
- April 2015
- March 2015
- January 2015
- December 2014
- August 2014
- March 2014
- November 2013