QBARS - v30n4 R. falconeri, Series Falconeri

R. Falconeri, Series Falconeri
Arthur W. Headlam, Bentleigh, Australia

R. falconeri , Series Falconeri, is well known to most rhododendron enthusiasts for its attractive foliage. The leaves, up to twelve inches long are dark green and covered with a dense rust colored indumentum on the underside, whilst the flowers, twenty or more to the truss, are creamy white to yellow with a purple blotch. However, not everyone takes the trouble to examine the trunk which is one of the interesting features of this fine species.

It may be necessary to hold some of the branches aside in order to see the trunk with its reddish-brown, flaking bark depicted in the photograph of R. falconeri at Olinda in the Dandenong Ranges.

The plant is said to be over sixty years of age and stands twenty feet high, making a particularly fine display in the flowering season