Yaku Prince Rhododendron

A compact, upright, rounded evergreen shrub reaching 3 feet in 10 years and 4 to 5 feet at maturity. Tubular funnel-shaped flowers with wavy lobes, 2½ inches wide, open purplish-pink and age to lighter pink with a pale purplish-pink blotch and dark reddish-orange spotting, in ball-shaped trusses of 14 flowers. Late-midseason bloom. Olive-green foliage with moderately heavy dark orange-yellow indumentum on the underside. A yakushimanum hybrid: 'King Tut' crossed with R. degronianum subsp. yakushimanum 'Koichiro Wada', bred by Shammarello in Ohio (ARS #772). Sibling to 'Yaku Princess'.

The distinctive indumentose foliage, with dark orange-yellow underside visible when leaves curl, adds year-round visual interest well beyond the bloom window. Flowers fade gradually from purplish-pink to lighter pink, producing a multi-tone truss effect at peak bloom. Yakushimanum parentage delivers higher light tolerance and a tougher constitution than typical mid-sized elepidote hybrids. Hardy to -10°F (Zone 6a-8a). Part shade to full sun on acidic, well-drained soil (pH 4.5-6.0). Slow growth. Twenty-one diseases and 15 pests documented at the genus level. All parts contain grayanotoxins and are toxic if ingested.