Rhododendron minus 'Mitchell Dam', which has large leaves and stems and has been suspected of being a tetraploid, has been determined to be a diploid using flow cytometry by
Dr. João Loureiro, Dr. Silvia Castro, José Cerca, and Mariana Castro
Plant Ecology and Evolution Group,
Centre for Functional Ecology,
Department of Life Sciences,
Faculty of Science and Technology,
University of Coimbra, Portugal.
No naturally occurring tetraploid Rhododendron minus have been located to date. Rhododendron minus 'Epoch', which was chemically treated to increase the ploidy level, is a tetraploid.
Summary of Ploidy Levels
Diploid Rhododendron minus,
Diploid Rhododendron minus 'Blanchette',
Diploid Rhododendron minus 'Mitchell Dam',
Diploid Rhododendron minus var. chapmanii,
Tetraploid 'Epoch'
Source: John Thornton
John and Sally Perkins
