Wine Spring Bald contains Triploids

Two deciduous azalea hybrids selected from a native population on Wine Spring Bald, North Carolina have been determined to be triploids using flow cytometry by a team lead by Dr. Ranney.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Triploid 2 deciduous azalea hybrids from Wine Spring Bald population

Source: Wine Spring Bald population
Source: Clarence Towe and Ron Miller

John and Sally Perkins

Rhododendron minus var. chapmanii is a Diploid

Rhododendron minus var. chapmanii 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: Ron Miller

John and Sally Perkins

"Miller's pink austrinum" is a Tetraploid

Rhododendron "pink austrinum" has been determined to be a tetraploid using flow cytometry by

Dr. João Loureiro, Dr. Silvia Castro, José Cerca Oliveira, 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.

According to Ron Miller, Rhododendron "pink austrinum" exists as populations containing no yellow Rhododendron austrinum on the Yellow River in Florida. No decision has been made to whether this is a species separate from Rhododendron austrinum, a subspecies of Rhododendron austrinum, or a merely a pink form or variety of Rhododendron austrinum. Populations containing both pink tetraploids and yellow tetraploids resembling Rhododendron austrinum also exist. These tetraploid populations are not colocated with any diploid populations that bloom at the time the tetraploids are in bloom. There are no triploids in these populations.

Rhododendron "pink austrinum" was also determined to be a tetraploid using flow cytometry by Dr. Thomas Ranney, J.R. Jones, and Nathan Lynch.

Summary of Ploidy Levels

Tetraploid Rhododendron atlanticum,
Tetraploid Rhododendron austrinum,
Tetraploid Rhododendron calendulcaeum,
Tetraploid Rhododendron colemanii,
Tetraploid Rhododendron luteum,
Tetraploid Rhododendron "pink austrinum"

Source: Ron Miller

John and Sally Perkins