Rhododendron

Rhododendrons, Azaleas

Message of the Flower

Abundance of Beauty

The Mother’s Comment

A beauty that blossoms freely and abundantly.

Spiritual Message by the Mother/ Quotes by Sri Aurobindo

Let beauty be your constant ideal.

The beauty of the soul

The beauty of sentiments

The beauty of thoughts

The beauty of the action

The beauty in the work

so that nothing comes out of your hands which is not an expression of pure and harmonious beauty.

And the Divine Help shall always be with you.

The Mother, On Education: Curriculum

In the world of forms a violation of Beauty is as great a fault as a violation of Truth in the world of ideas. For Beauty is the worship Nature offers to the supreme Master of the universe; Beauty is the divine language in forms. And a consciousness of the Divine which is not translated externally by an understanding and expression of Beauty would be an incomplete consciousness.

The Mother, Prayers and Meditations: January 29, 1917

Delight is the soul of existence, beauty the intense impression, the concentrated form of delight.

Sri Aurobindo, The Future Poetry: The Soul of Poetic Delight and Beauty

Beauty is Ananda taking form—but the form need not be a physical shape. One speaks of a beautiful thought, a beautiful act, a beautiful soul. What we speak of as beauty is Ananda in manifestation.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Art, Beauty and Ananda

Beauty is the special divine Manifestation in the physical as Truth is in the mind, Love in the heart, Power in the vital. Supramental beauty is the highest divine beauty manifesting in Matter.

Sri Aurobindo, Letters on Poetry and Art: Beauty

The one rule of the gnostic life would be the self-expression of the Spirit, the will of the Divine Being; that will, that self-expression could manifest through extreme simplicity or through extreme complexity and opulence or in their natural balance,—for beauty and plenitude, a hidden sweetness and laughter in things, a sunshine and gladness of life are also powers and expressions of the Spirit.

Sri Aurobindo, The Life Divine - II: The Divine Life

Beauty is his footprint showing us where he has passed, Love is his heart-beats' rhythm in mortal breasts, Happiness the smile on his adorable face.

Sri Aurobindo, Savitri - I: The Kingdom of Subtle Matter

Colour

Great variety of colours

Family

Ericaceae

Cultivars

Nova Zembla', 'Purple Gem', 'Golden Lights'

Person who named the flower

Carl Linnaeus

Flower Size

Less than an inch to several inches

Flower Texture

Waxy, smooth

Number of Petals

Typically five

Floral Symmetry

Radial

Fragrance of Flower

Varies, many are fragrant

Leaf Texture

Leathery

Leaf Arrangement

Alternate, mostly clustered

Leaf Color

Green, some with silvery or woolly undersides

Structural Variation (Shrub or Tree)

Mostly shrubs, some small to medium-sized trees

Life Cycle

Perennial

Blooming Period

Primarily spring, some in summer or fall

Climate

Temperate to subtropical

Water Requirements

Moist but well-drained

Soil Type

Acidic, rich in organic matter

Temperature Ranges

Varies widely, some very cold-hardy

Sun or Shade

Partial shade preferred

Susceptibility to Insects and Diseases

Aphids, vine weevils, powdery mildew, rust

Pollinators

Bees, butterflies

Habitat

Alpine regions to forest understories

Role in the Ecosystem

Nectar source, ornamental

Quotations

Not specifically quoted

Ornamental

Highly valued in gardens and landscapes

Uses in Other Aspects of Life

Ornamental, ecological landscaping

Endangered Status

Some species endangered or threatened