Rhodo Trippin’

From laurel hell to almost heaven—the rhododendron is a Mountain State native worth seeing in all its glory.

Pioneers called it laurel hell—thickets of impenetrable rhododendron, with their leathery green leaves and twisted branches defying even the most determined settlers as they made their way through the Appalachian Mountains. When 18th century surveyor Thomas Lewis first encountered the Blackwater River, he referred to it by the same name as the mythical river that runs through the underworld for good reason. “The river Styx is what they called it,” says Jim Vanderhorst, DNR ecologist. In fact, Lewis described the vast forest of rhododendron growing along the river’s banks as “all most as Obstinate as if Composed of Iron …. This River was called Styx from the Dismal appearance of the place Being Sufficent to Strick terror in any human Creature ye Lorals Ivey & Spruce pine …” And yet today, Vanderhorst says, “those are the places we call heaven.” 

Our opinion of these lush patches of evergreen shrubs (in abundance called laurel breaks or slicks) may have changed since the days of European settlement, but one thing remains the same: rhododendrons are unmatched in their wild beauty and hardy simplicity—especially the state’s official flower, Rhododendron maximum, found in a wide swath stretching from Jefferson and Morgan counties in the Eastern Panhandle west to Monongalia and south to McDowell. “Perhaps no other species of plant so closely aligns itself with the Appalachian Mountains as does Rhododendron maximum,” says John Burkhart, Natural Heritage Program Botanist for DNR. “In West Virginia, it is not found in the Ohio River Valley counties and becomes less prevalent in the Appalachian Plateau region in the center of the state. The thickest, most vigorous expressions of the plant are found in the Allegheny Mountain region.”

But to fully understand this common yet complicated plant, we’ll need to wade into its natural history. Then, to help you plan your own West Virginia rhodo trip, we’ll cover the best places among our state parks and forests to view them in full bloom. 

A Little Natural History

In total there are seven species of Rhododendron (also commonly referred to as azaleas or laurels) growing wild in West Virginia, each unique, but all part of the Ericaceae or heath/heather family. From the crisp white arborescens; to the flaming yellow calendulaceum; to periclymenoides with blush pink blooms; to fragrant rosey prinophyllum; to the unusual viscosum, or swamp azalea, with its sprays of small white flowers. But two of the best known and most coveted West Virginia native rhododendrons are catawbiense, or purple laurel, and maximum, widely known as the great laurel, white laurel, or rosebay—our state’s official flower. 

“There are many hundreds of species of rhododendron in the world,” Vanderhorst says, and there are countless cultivars deliberately planted in backyards across the country. What makes this tough shrub such a prize? It’s scrappy and will out compete other plants, relatively easy to grow in the right conditions, and it’s undeniably gorgeous when it blooms. 

Most rhododendrons are evergreen, maintaining their deep green foliage through winter. They can maintain a low stature or reach tree heights of 30 or more feet. And nearly all rhododendron are flowering, some fragrant, some unscented. Late spring and early summer are the best times to view maximum in all its glory, June 25 to July 10 are often cited as peak bloom time.

Although rhododendrons are easy to identify, if you’re looking specifically for our state’s flower, think big. Maximum has the largest leaves (in a unique blue green shade) of all native rhododendrons and is marked by a short, crooked trunk and a crown of equally crooked branches. The great laurel can reach heights 14 to 30 feet in the right spot, but can also be as small as just four feet. Its telltale large, bell-shaped blossoms in clusters of 16 to 24 range in color from white as snow to strawberry pink with a touch of purple and are often spotted or splotched. Interestingly, all parts of the plant are considered highly toxic. Even honey made from flowers (called mad honey) is poisonous, though rare. “The honey can contain a toxin called a grayanotoxin. [It] acts upon the nervous system and can cause a variety of neurological and physical symptoms…this ‘mad honey’ has even been used in warfare to poison and disorient enemy soldiers,” Burkhart says.

Location is Everything

Rhododendron fans will find themselves in almost heaven in many places across the state, but some locations are guaranteed to take your breath away. “One can find truly impressive stands of Rhododendron maximum in state parks and forests such as Coopers Rock State Forest and Blackwater Falls State Park in and around the large sandstone cliff and boulder formations and up and down the steep rocky slopes,” Burkart says.

Vanderhorst loves the view of both maximum and catawbiense, blooming at different times, along the New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and the Gauley River National Recreation Area. For more great public places to see Rhododendron maximum specifically, check out the list at the bottom of this story.

You’ll only find the great laurel in abundance in certain locations. “Rhododendron maximum is strongly and almost exclusively associated with acidic soils and substrates. In West Virginia, this is largely sandstone-derived substrates,” Burkhart says. You can clearly see where the rhododendron’s preferred soil shifts away from sandstone by how quickly the great laurel disappears. “The rhodos will drop out and a whole suite of other plants will be present, such as stinging nettles, bladdernuts, and trees such as basswood.“

When it comes to reproduction, rhododendrons mostly pass on their genes clonally (but their seeds are viable in the right location), by making copies of themselves. Although the laurel hells are often thick and impenetrable, they rarely spread out of control. Once a dense patch has formed, it often becomes so impenetrable it effectively cuts itself off.

A Word of Caution

Although more beloved now than ever before, rhododendrons are not to be taken lightly. You’ll want a good pair of hiking boots, water, and a map before you go getting lost in a laurel slick. Take it from Burkhart. “As a field botanist and outdoor adventurer, I have been entangled in ‘rhodo thickets’ several times. Perhaps the most memorable was when a friend of mine and I were establishing a breeding bird survey transect at Blister Run Swamp in Randolph County. We quite carelessly did not bring headlamps, stayed out a little too late birding and botanizing, and then got benighted. We were stumbling our way out of the swamp, generally following our memory of where we had parked our car, going gradually uphill, and walking straight into thickets of rhododendron and face first into balsam firs and red spruce trees,” he says. “With great relief, after nearly an hour of stumbling in the dark, we made it to the road and walked to our car.”

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