''Rhododendron japonicum'', the Japanese azalea, is a species of flowering plant in the family

Ericaceae The Ericaceae () are a Family (biology), family of flowering plants, commonly known as the heath or heather family, found most commonly in acidic and infertile growing conditions. The family is large, with about 4,250 known species spread acros ...

, native to Japan. A deciduous shrub reaching but usually half that, it is found in grasslands and open scrub, never in dense thickets or woodlands. It is very similar to the Chinese endemic '' Rhododendron molle'', to the extent that its cultivars are customarily grouped with the cultivars of ''R.molle''. It is popularly cultivated as a

bonsai Bonsai (; , ) is the Japanese art of Horticulture, growing and shaping miniature trees in containers, with a long documented history of influences and native Japanese development over a thousand years, and with unique aesthetics, cultural hist ...

tree.

References

japonicum Plants used in bonsai Endemic flora of Japan Plants described in 1908 {{Ericaceae-stub