캠퍼철쭉-[정명] Rhododendron kaempferi Planch.

과명	Ericaceae (진달래과)	속명	Rhododendron (진달래속)
전체학명	[정명] Rhododendron kaempferi Planch.	추천명	캠퍼철쭉
		영문명	Azalea Torch

추천명변경: 캠페리철쭉 -> 캠퍼철쭉

 

General Information

Rhododendron kaempferi is an open, much-branched evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub that can grow from 1 - 5 metres tall.
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. It is grown as an ornamental in gardens, where some forms can be used to form a ground cover.

Known Hazards

Although no specific mention of toxicity has been seen for this species, all parts of Rhododendron species (including the leaves, flowers and pollen) contain greater or lesser amounts of the toxic compound andromedotoxin (also known as grayanotoxin). Rarely lethal to humans (and used medicinally in some herbal disciplines), this compound causes dose-dependant overstimulation of the central nervous system with symptoms including various cardiovascular effects (mainly low blood pressure and cardiac rhythm disorders); nausea and vomiting; and a change in consciousness. The effects commence shortly after ingestion and last around two days. These effects are also transferred to honey made from the nectar of the flowers. In some parts of the world bees are used to deliberately produce a honey rich in andromedotoxin which is then eaten for its supposed medicinal, hallucinogenic and aphrodisiac effects.
In contrast to humans, many other creatures are more susceptible to the toxin and it has sometimes proved lethal to grazing animals and household pets. Some forms of honeybees are also killed by the toxin (resistant forms of the bee are used for honey production). Bumblebees are not affected, however, and are also more efficient in pollinating rhododendron flowers, so one theory is that the toxin is produced by the plant in order to favour the bumblebee and improve fertilization rates

Range

E. Asia - Japan.

Habitat

Open woods and scrub, edges of secondary deciduous forests, sunny grassy hillsides and mountainsides; at elevations up to 1,600 metres

Rhododendron kaempferi - Useful Temperate Plants (theferns.info)

 

 

 

https://youtu.be/7W6P6kaAKXY?t=821