Rhododendron maximum Ericaceae Leaves are simple, alternate, up to 9 inches long, elliptical in shape and leathery.
Leaves often droop in winter and are densely maroon pubescent below.
Twigs are green to red-brown and scurfy. Bark is red-brown and scaly. Flowers are showy pink-white. Fruit is a sticky capsule. Rosebay rhododendron forms dense thickets and is found on moist well-drained sites in the eastern US and in northern Alabama.