The difference between summer azalea and hairy azalea

Different appearance

This is the most intuitive difference between the two.

First of all, there is the difference in their overall shape. The first plant is relatively small in shape, with very small branches and leaves, relatively dense branches, and a full and neat crown. The second plant is not like this. It is very tall, can grow to two to three meters, and is very strong.

Then there is the shape of their leaves. The leaves of the first type are generally smaller and arranged more closely; the leaves of the second type are larger and longer.

Another difference is the flowers of the two. Generally speaking, the flowers of the hairy azalea are rich in colors, ranging from rose red to bright red. They usually bloom from mid-to-late May to mid-June. The flowers of the summer azalea are very large, single-petaled, and present a wide funnel shape. There are rarely any double petals, and there are many colors, such as red, pink, purple, white, etc. The colors are relatively more diverse. In addition, in terms of timing, the latter may bloom a little later.

Different sources

This means that their origins are different. The first type of plants belong to the Japanese rhododendron family, while the second type of plants belong to the Chinese rhododendron family.

Different origins

Here we mainly talk about the distribution of their planting areas in my country. Generally speaking, the former is mostly distributed in provinces south of the Yangtze River, such as Jiangsu, Sichuan, Zhejiang, Anhui and other provinces; the latter is relatively widely distributed, and is planted in almost every region of my country, especially near the mountains of Jiangxi Province, where wild hairy rhododendrons are distributed.