Flame Azaleas Brighten your Spirits
By Johanne Kittle, Plant rescue team Photos by Tom Harrington and Bob Lehoullier

Galls on Flame Azaleas look like small white apples and are caused by a fungus.

The beauty of the Flame Azaleas on the Appalachian Trail by Blood Mountain took my breath away so I had to write about them. The native azalea is the Georgia State Wildflower, designated in 1979. The resolution naming it as the state wildflower includes some of the same reasons that I find them so irresistible:

The azaleas native to the southeastern United States are "considered by many to the most beautiful of indigenous shrubs".

There are some 16 species of native azaleas, 14 of which are found in Georgia

The range of color of the blossoms are "dazzling" to the eye (from bright red to orange to yellow to white)

The blooms can be seen for a long range of time from March to July or even August depending of the species and the elevation.

Some people make an annual "pilgrimage" to Gregory Bald in the Great Smokey Mountains National park to see the azaleas in bloom. You can see a great variety all in bloom at the same time (typically about the third week of June). It is well worth the hike up to the bald. But closer to home in our GA/NC mountains, you can still see many of the Flame azaleas in bloom.

The wild azaleas range in color from bright red, to orange, to yellow.

The Cherokees used the peeled and boiled twig as a rheumatism rub, an infusion as a gynecological aid for women, and the flowers to decorate the home.

Another fascinating aspect of the flame azaleas is the galls that form on some of their branches. The galls look like a small white apple and are caused by a fungus. The Cherokees ate the fungus "apple" formed on the stem to appease thirst. Afriend of mine told me he tried it and it reminds him of eating cantaloupe rind. I've not tried it but if I were in survival mode, I might be tempted.

Ken Gohring is scheduled to present a program on Native Azaleas at the Hayesville Library Saturday August 11 at 2PM. The program is free and open to the public.

Not only are the flame azaleas beautiful, there are times in our mountains when the rhododendrons, laurel and azalea are all in bloom at the same time and that is definitely a treat. The day we hiked up Blood Mountain, the laurel was almost past peak but the blooms were falling on the trail. Scattered flower petals on the path can make you feel special -like a king entering a city or a bride walking down the aisle.

There is so much beauty in our mountains that every time you venture out into nature, get ready to enjoy a feast for your eyes. As a member of the plant rescue team, I would like to encourage you to go out and enjoy the feast-you owe it to yourself as a resident or visitor to the southern Appalachians. It is our hope that once you taste the beauty, you will want to help preserve it for future generations.

For more information on the Plant rescue team, contact Jennifer Cordier (706-745- 9 3 1 7 ) ivylog@ alltel.net or you can contact me, Johanne Kittle billjokitt @dnet.net.