Flower profile

Great rhododendron

Rhododendron maximum

★ Official state flower of West Virginia (1903)Native in the lower 48

Great rhododendron is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. It's on our flower lists for 5 states, and across the U.S. it's most often seen in bloom in June–July.

20states

5of our state lists

17,928U.S. sightings*

*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.

On our lists for: Kentucky, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia

🏅

West Virginia's official state flower since 1903. Visit the West Virginia page → ^{W. Va. House Joint Resolution No. 19 (Jan. 29, 1903)} West Virginia's flower was chosen by a vote of schoolchildren and adopted by joint resolution rather than written into the state code.

Quick look

Rhododendron maximum is a species of Rhododendron native to the Appalachians of eastern North America, from Alabama north to coastal Nova Scotia. Its common names include great laurel, great rhododendron, rosebay rhododendron, American rhododendron and big rhododendron.
From Wikipedia's article Rhododendron maximum, CC BY-SA 4.0.

It belongs to the Ericaceae family. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub / a tree with a perennial life cycle. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 20 states. ^{USDA PLANTS}
NatureServe lists it as native to North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky. ^NatureServe
In North Carolina, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
In Pennsylvania, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in June–July. ^iNaturalist
USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as red. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as mid spring. ^{USDA PLANTS}
USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 25 ft. ^{USDA PLANTS}
iNaturalist has 4,953 research-grade sightings of it in North Carolina, ranking #20 among the 111 flowers on our North Carolina list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 3,109 research-grade sightings of it in Pennsylvania, ranking #64 among the 111 flowers on our Pennsylvania list. ^iNaturalist
iNaturalist has 1,997 research-grade sightings of it in Tennessee, ranking #49 among the 112 flowers on our Tennessee list. ^iNaturalist

Great rhododendron gift ideas

Handmade great rhododendron gifts from independent makers.

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When does it bloom?

Flowering records by month across the U.S. (iNaturalist research-grade observations marked “Flowering”) (3,174 records)

Bloom time in each of our 5 states

State	Type	Peak bloom	Sightings*
North Carolina	Native	June–July	4,953
Pennsylvania	Native	June–July	3,109
Tennessee	Native	June–July	1,997
West Virginia	Native	June–July	1,824
Kentucky	Native	June–July	769

Conservation status

Federal (U.S. ESA): Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. ^{USFWS ECOS}
NatureServe global: G5 Secure worldwide. ^NatureServe
North Carolina: Not listed Not on North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301). NatureServe: S5, secure in North Carolina. ^{02 NCAC 48F .0301}
Pennsylvania: Not listed Not on Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023). NatureServe: S5, secure in Pennsylvania. ^{17 Pa. Code Ch. 45}
Tennessee: Not listed Not on Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act). NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Tennessee. ^{TN rule 0400-06-02-.04}
West Virginia: No list West Virginia has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants (only federally listed species are protected), so we show NatureServe's West Virginia ranks instead. NatureServe: S5, secure in West Virginia.
Kentucky: Not listed Not on Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026). NatureServe: S5, secure in Kentucky. ^{400 KAR 3:040}
Rare elsewhere: Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: MA (S1), ME (S1), NH (S2), VT (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)

Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.

Can you eat it?

For peoplePoisonous to people

NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems. Symptoms they list: “While the plants are known to contain toxins, ingestion of moderate amounts of azalea (nectar or leaves) poses little toxic hazard.” ^{NC State Extension}

For petsToxic to dogs, cats and horses

ASPCA's entry “Azalea” (Rhododendron spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Vomiting (not in horses), diarrhea, weakness, cardiac… ^ASPCA

🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.

Where does it grow?

USDA PLANTS records great rhododendron in 20 states plus Washington, D.C.

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recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded

See the full list of states

Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia; District of Columbia.

North Carolina counties with USDA records: Alexander, Ashe, Avery, Buncombe, Burke, Caldwell, Catawba, Cherokee, Clay, Cleveland, Davidson, Davie, Graham, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, Jackson, Macon, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Polk, Rockingham, Rowan, Rutherford, Stokes, Surry, Swain, Transylvania, Watauga, Wilkes, Yancey.

Pennsylvania counties with USDA records: Adams, Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Bedford, Berks, Blair, Bucks, Cambria, Cameron, Carbon, Centre, Chester, Clarion, Clearfield, Clinton, Columbia, Crawford, Cumberland, Dauphin, Elk, Erie, Fayette, Forest, Franklin, Fulton, Greene, Huntingdon, Indiana, Jefferson, Juniata, Lackawanna, Lancaster, Lehigh, Luzerne, Lycoming, Mifflin, Monroe, Montgomery, Montour, Northampton, Northumberland, Perry, Philadelphia, Pike, Schuylkill, Snyder, Somerset, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Union, Venango, Warren, Wayne, Westmoreland, Wyoming, York.

Tennessee counties with USDA records: Anderson, Benton, Blount, Campbell, Carter, Claiborne, Cocke, Cumberland, Fentress, Greene, Grundy, Hamilton, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Knox, Marion, Monroe, Overton, Pickett, Polk, Rhea, Scott, Sequatchie, Sevier, Smith, Unicoi, Union, Van Buren, Washington.

More North Carolina flowers

Ghost pipe

Monotropa uniflora

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🌼 Blooms in NC: June–October

Striped wintergreen

Chimaphila maculata

Native

🌼 Blooms in NC: May–July

Mountain laurel

Kalmia latifolia

★ CT state flowerNative

🌼 Blooms in NC: April–June

Sources

USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RHMA4.
iNaturalist, Rhododendron maximum: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
Wikipedia, Rhododendron maximum (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
W. Va. House Joint Resolution No. 19 (Jan. 29, 1903): West Virginia state flower.
North Carolina: North Carolina Protected Plant Species List (02 NCAC 48F .0301).
North Carolina: North Carolina Noxious Weed List (02 NCAC 48A .1702) (the list names any non-native Lythrum; we apply it to purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), which isn't native).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania classified native plants (17 Pa. Code Ch. 45, Subchapter B, as amended 2023).
Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Noxious Weed List (3 Pa.C.S. § 1519, PA Dept. of Agriculture) (PDA's page spells garlic mustard “Allaria petiolata”; we match it as Alliaria petiolata).
Tennessee: Tennessee endangered plants (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0400-06-02-.04, Rare Plant Protection and Conservation Act).
Tennessee: Tennessee Pest Plant List (Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 0080-06-24-.02).
West Virginia: West Virginia noxious weeds (W. Va. Code R. § 61-14A-5) (the rule abbreviates some names (e.g. “P. cuspidatum”); we expand them to match).
Kentucky: Kentucky endangered and threatened plant lists (400 KAR 3:040, eff. 2026).
Kentucky: Kentucky noxious weeds and invasive plants on state rights-of-way (KRS 176.051; species list from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet).
USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
NatureServe Explorer, Rhododendron maximum (global and state ranks).
Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
Photo: Theo Rickert via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.