May - the time of rhododendron flowering

Rhododendron. As soon as the snow comes down and the earth wakes up from hibernation, it is immediately covered by a carpet of primroses, and then a blue-pink cloud blooms on our hills rhododendron - a miracle of Far Eastern nature and our symbol along with the Amur tiger. It is time for the seaside khanami - a time when you need to abandon all your worries and go on a journey to see the flowering of rhododendron with your own eyes! After all, in beauty it is not inferior to cherry blossoms in Japan. The scientific name "rhodendron" in translation from Greek means "pink tree" ("rhodon" - "rose" and "dendron" - "tree"). True, the name "rhododendron" never took root in Primorye - all and continue to persistently call him a bagulnik. They're different plants, though. If you do not go into the botanical details, the most noticeable difference is in color: bagulica blooms white, small and rather inconspicuous flowers. 

So, when and where in Primorye you can admire the flowering of rhododendron and what types of this unique plant can be found on the territory of the region? 

Rododendron ostrocious.  Distributed in the south of Primorsky Krai. It grows more often in thickets on rocky slopes or in the undergrowth of the forest. It reaches a height of 3 meters. The leaves are pointed and fall in the winter. The flowers are purple, occasionally there is a white form. It blooms from April to May. In the city, you can admire their charm on the hill of the Refrigerator, in the Botanical Garden or on the Russian Island, on the Pospelov Fort, and outside the city it is better to go to the Valley of Atlantis and walk from there to Cape Lisuchenko.

Rododendron Schlippenbach. It grows only in the very south of Primorye, in the Hasan district, forming small curtains on dry and stony slopes. The flowers are large pale pink or white with purple specks. It blooms in May. For the first time this rhododendron was found in Korea and described by a Russian officer from the frigate "Pallada" A.E. Schlippenbach. The flowering of this rhododendron is one of the most beautiful phenomena in the Khasan district, for which people specially come in May to the Gamova Peninsula and to the Cape of the False Island. Rhododendrons blooming in summer.

Rhododendron is golden. The most inaccessible species found on the territory of the region. It grows in the mountain belt, on ridges and kurums, descending below only on the outskirts of the thickets of cedar stlanik. Evergreen shrub, wintering under the snow and forming difficult thickets. The flowers are golden yellow, they grow in bundles. It blooms from June to August.

Rododendron Faury. The rarest, since the only place on the mainland of Russia where you can observe this plant is on the key of Kabannye. It was discovered in 1970, although since 1935 there was a Sikhote-Alin reserve, and many foresters and scientists worked here. Rododendron Fori became one of the symbols of the Sikhote-Alin reserve. It is a tree shrub up to 7 meters high with large leathery leaves, similar to ficus leaves. In winter, the leaves of the evergreen plant do not fall, they fold into tubes and hang down. The flowers are white, gathered in a spherical inflorescence. It blooms in late June and early July.

For everyone, as part of the Festival of Rododendron, a lecture "Rododendron: botanical symbols and scientific stories" will be held by the director of the botanical garden of the FEB RAS, a member of the correspondent of the RAS Pavel Vitalyevich Krestov. Details can be found here. 

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