AZA'LEA, a genus of plants belonging to the natural' order Ericcee, and distinguished from rhododendron (q.v.) chiefly by the flowers having five stamens instead of ten. Most of the species of A. also differ from the rhododendrons in having thin deciduous leaves. Some botanists unite the genus A. to rhododendron. One of the species best deserving of notice is A. pontica, a shrub from 3 to 5 ft. high, a native of the countries around the Black sea, with large obovate or oblongolanceolate shining leaves and umbellate yellow flowers, which are externally covered with glutinous hairy glands; and are very fragrant. It may be regarded as, like many of the other ericar (heaths, etc.), a social plant.; and its golden flowers give great brilliancy to the landscape in many parts of the Crimea, the s.e. of Poland, the Caucasus, etc. It covers many mountain slopes, but does not ascend to great elevations, giving place to the more alpine rhodo dendron ponticum. It is common in gardens and shrubberies in Britain. and varies with orange, red, and almost white flowers. The whole plant is narcotic and poisonous, and the honey collected by bees from its flowers, which very much abound in honey. is said to cause stupefaction and delirium, as happened to )enophon's soldiers in their famous retreat in Asia.—North America abounds In azaleas as well as In rhododendrons, and sonic of the species have been long cultivated in Britain, particularly A. nudOlora
and A. viscrma, which, with A. pontica, have become the parents of many hybrids. Both have nearly white flowers, very beautiful, and of delicious fragrance. A. riscosa has the flowers covered with glutinous hairs like A. pontica; but the flowers of A. nudi flora are nearly destitute of them. Both species abound from Canada to the southern parts of the bilited States. They are taller shrubs than A. pontica. Upon account of its sweet smell, A. nudiflora is called in America the upright honeysuckle. A. eaten. dutacca, a native of the southern parts of the United States, is described as frequently clothing the mountains with a robe of living and China produce several species of A., of which one of the finest is A. Indica, well known in Britain as a green house shrub. Its flowers exhibit great brilliancy of colors. Many hybrids exist between the more hardy species and this. Another extremely beautiful species is A. ledifolia, an evergreen, which has been introduced into Britain from China.
A diminutive, procumbent, evergreen shrub, a native of alpine regions in Europe and North America, plentiful on high mountains in Scotland, was long known as A. procumbens, but is now called Loiselcuria procumbens. The flowers are small and rose colored. The whole appearance of the plant widely differs from that of the genus of Azalea.