White-flowered Rhododendron - Occurrence in the Central Cascades,

Currently (26 Jun 2023) on iNaturalist there is only one record of R. albiflorum south, or west, of Hwy 22 in the Oregon Cascades. That record is from Bugaboo Ridge, Bachelor Mountain. There are currently no observations on iNaturalist south of Hwy 20. According to the Consortium of Pacific Northwest Herbaria (CPNWH) (pnwherbaria.org) Roy C Andrews collected this species on Indian Ridge, Lane County in 1935 and 1938. Other than a specimen from Bachelor Butte made in 1926 by E. Anderson those two records are the furthest south records of R. albiflorum in the Oregon Cascades.

I hope hikers will keep their eyes out for R. albiflorum south of Hwy 20 in the Oregon Cascades. The plants will probably be growing in somewhat damp areas well above 4,000' elevation, along rocky ridge lines, or near streams, lakes and meadow edges, possibly hiding in plain sight with Vaccinium spp.

In North-east Oregon they are currently known only from the Elkhorn Mountains, but not in the Wallowas, which seems odd since R. columbianum (formerly Ledum glandulosum) is found in the Wallowas, but not the Elkhorns. R. menziesii is apparently not found in either the Elkhorns, or the Wallowas since there are no records of this species on either iNaturalist, or in the CPNWH database from either of those locations. It is however found fairly close by in Idaho. Keep your eyes open!

Posted on 26 de junho de 2023, 08:13 PM by geographerdave