''Rhododendron ferrugineum'', the alpenrose, snow-rose, or rusty-leaved alpenrose is an

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has Leaf, foliage that remains green and functional throughout the year. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which lose their foliage completely during the winter or dry season. Consisting of many diffe ...

shrub that grows just above the

tree line The tree line is the edge of a habitat at which trees are capable of growing and beyond which they are not. It is found at high elevations and high latitudes. Beyond the tree line, trees cannot tolerate the environmental conditions (usually low ...

in the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

, Jura and northern

Apennines The Apennines or Apennine Mountains ( ; or Ἀπέννινον ὄρος; or – a singular with plural meaning; )Latin ''Apenninus'' (Greek or ) has the form of an adjective, which would be segmented ''Apenn-inus'', often used with nouns s ...

, on acid soils. It is the type species for the genus ''Rhododendron''.

Description

''Rhododendron ferrugineum'' may grow up to tall and produces clusters of pinkish-red, bell-shaped flowers throughout the summer. The undersides of the leaves are covered in rust-brown spots, which give the species the second part of its

binomial name In taxonomy, binomial nomenclature ("two-term naming system"), also called binary nomenclature, is a formal system of naming species of living things by giving each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, altho ...

('' ferrugineum'',

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

for 'rust-coloured, ferruginous'). This is in contrast to ''

Rhododendron hirsutum ''Rhododendron hirsutum'', commonly known as the hairy alpenrose is one of the species of ''Rhododendron'' native to the mountains of Europe. It occurs widely in the Alps except for the southwestern region (approximately south and west of the Mat ...

'', which has no such brown colouring, has hairy edges to the leaves and grows over

limestone Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...

. Where the two species co-occur (usually on soils of intermediate pH), the

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

''Rhododendron × intermedium'' may occur; as its name suggests, it is intermediate in form between the two parental species.

Habitat

''Rhododendron ferrugineum'' grows primarily on acidic siliceous soils, whereas its close relative ''

'' grows on basic carbonate-rich soils. These two types of soils frequently occur near each other in the Alps.

Toxicity

''Rhododendron ferrugineum'' is moderately

toxic Toxicity is the degree to which a chemical substance or a particular mixture of substances can damage an organism. Toxicity can refer to the effect on a whole organism, such as an animal, bacterium, or plant, as well as the effect on a subst ...

, containing

arbutin β-Arbutin, also known by its International Nomenclature of Cosmetic Ingredients (INCI) name, arbutin, is a glycosylated derivative of hydroquinone. β-Arbutin is naturally present in the leaves and bark of a variety of plants, notably the bearb ...

arecoline Arecoline is a cholinergic agent, stimulant, and natural product, naturally occurring alkaloid found in areca nut, areca (betel) nuts of the areca palm (''Areca catechu'') found in South Asia, South and Southeast Asia. Its effects, depending on ...

and rhodoxanthin, and can cause

vomiting Vomiting (also known as emesis, puking and throwing up) is the forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenteritis, pre ...

, and difficulties of the digestive, nervous,

respiratory The respiratory system (also respiratory apparatus, ventilatory system) is a biological system consisting of specific organs and structures used for gas exchange in animals and plants. The anatomy and physiology that make this happen varies gr ...

and

circulatory system In vertebrates, the circulatory system is a system of organs that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood which is circulated throughout the body. It includes the cardiovascular system, or vascular system, that consists of the heart ...

References

External links

ferrugineum Alpine flora Flora of the Alps Flora of Andorra Plants described in 1753 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus Flora of the Pyrenees {{Ericaceae-stub