Back to photostream

Spring Glory. Rhododendron, Wertheim Park, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Among the earliest flowering Rhododendrons in Amsterdam is this pretty shrub pinking just inside the west gate of Wertheim Park (www.flickr.com/photos/87453322@N00/22743714163/in/photoli...) opposite the main grounds of the Hortus Botanicus. The pink began to peak out already at the end of February, and today there's full blossom.

There are about 850 species of Rhododendron and I'm not sure which one I've caught here. I do know that the first scientific description of a Rhododendron was made by great Carolus Clusius (1526-1609) for his flora of 1601. Under the name of Ledum alpinum he describes what we know today as Rhododendron hirsutum. He remarks that it grows among the rocks of the great Schneeberg-Schneealpen Massif of Lower Austria, the easternmost part of the European Alps.

2,311 views
62 faves
42 comments
Uploaded on March 14, 2017
Taken on March 14, 2017