Cowhide Azalea

Cowhide Azalea

　　A member of the Ericaceae family, this is an evergreen shrub. Its stems are prostrate while the branches grow obliquely, featuring alternate, single leaves. The leaf blades are obovate, oblong to oblanceolate in shape. The corolla is broadly funnel-shaped, with 4–10 flowers borne in terminal corymbs. It blooms every spring, with pale yellow or white flowers. The blossoms, usually clustered in groups of 2–6 at the branch tips, flower from May to July, and fruit from August. The Cowhide Azalea is found in the alpine zones of Changbai Mountain and under the Erman’s birch forests, often forming pure stands in valleys.