Plant Family: Ericaceae
Growth Form: Open, branching shrub 1 to 3 meters high.
Leaves: Alternate, simple, deciduous, 2 – 6 cm long, elliptic to obovate, with a short sharp tip; appearing whorled at the twig ends.
Bark: Light gray or brown, twigs hairy.
Flowers: White (sometimes pale pink), with 5 spreading petals and a faint, spicy aroma, the funnel-like corolla is long and covered with sticky hairs, styles long; appearing late June into August, well after the leaves, later than other Azaleas.
Fruits: Five-part, linear, woody capsules.
Habitat: Swamps, shores, damp thickets, sometimes in drier upland habitats.
Range: A southern shrub that reaches the northern limit of its range in New Hampshire and southern Maine, where it is listed as endangered.
Similar Species: The flowers of Early Azalea and Pink Azalea expand along with the leaves in May and early June.
