GREAT LAUREL
Rhododendron maximum, L.
Form.—A shrub or small tree sometimes reaching a height of 20-25 feet; trunk short and usually twisted and bent, with contorted blanches forming a flat irregular top.
Leaves.—Alternate, simple, evergreen, mostly clustered at the ends of branches, elliptical-oblong, 4-10 inches long, very thick, acute apex, narrowed base, entire, smooth, dark green above, light green beneath.
Flowers.—June; perfect; pale rose to white, upper petals marked with yellow-green dots, flowers arranged in umbel-like heads 4-5 inches in diameter.
Fruit.—Matures in late summer and persists through the winter; a reddish-brown, 5-celled, many-seeded capsule, about ½ inch long, terminated by a long persistent style.
Bark.—Roughened by thin, flaky scales, dark red-brown.
Wood.—Hard, strong, brittle, close-grained, light brown with lighter sapwood.
Range.—Nova Scotia and Lake Erie south along the mountains to Georgia.
Distribution in West Virginia.—Common locally throughout the State, most abundant in the mountainous sections.