Flower profile
Mountain azalea
Rhododendron canescens
Mountain azalea is a flowering plant that USDA PLANTS lists as native in the lower 48 states. In Mississippi it's most often seen in bloom in March–April.
*iNaturalist research-grade observations, as of October 17, 2026.
On our lists for: Mississippi
Quick look
Rhododendron canescens, the piedmont azalea or mountain azalea, or wild azalea, or native azalea, or dead man’s handkerchief is a pink-blooming azalea native to the Eastern United States.
- It belongs to the Ericaceae family. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS describes it as a shrub with a perennial life cycle. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists it as native in the lower 48 states and records it in 15 states. USDA PLANTS
- NatureServe lists it as native to Mississippi. NatureServe
- In Mississippi, most iNaturalist sightings of it in flower come in March–April. iNaturalist
- USDA PLANTS lists its flower color as purple. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS gives its bloom period as spring. USDA PLANTS
- USDA PLANTS lists a mature height of about 14 ft. USDA PLANTS
- iNaturalist has 349 research-grade sightings of it in Mississippi, ranking #73 among the 110 flowers on our Mississippi list. iNaturalist
Mountain azalea gift ideas
Handmade mountain azalea gifts from independent makers.
🌱 Sample spot. Handmade gift picks from independent shops will appear here once our shop partnership is approved. These cards are placeholders, not real products.
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Mountain azalea art print
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Mountain azalea greeting card
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Mountain azalea mug
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Mountain azalea earrings
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Mountain azalea embroidery pattern
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Mountain azalea sticker
When does it bloom?
In Mississippi, most flowering sightings come in March–April.
Conservation status
- Federal (U.S. ESA)
- Not listed No U.S. Endangered Species Act listing in the USFWS ECOS database. USFWS ECOS
- NatureServe global
- G5 Secure worldwide. NatureServe
- Mississippi
- No list Mississippi has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Mississippi ranks instead. NatureServe: SNR, not yet ranked in Mississippi.
- Rare elsewhere
- Other states where NatureServe ranks it rare or missing: DE (SH), IL (SH), KY (S1), NC (S2), OK (S2). (S1 critically imperiled, S2 imperiled, SH possibly extirpated, SX presumed extirpated.)
Checked October 17, 2026. Rankings and lists can change, so follow the links for the latest.
Can you eat it?
NC State Extension lists it as poisonous to humans (severity: low). Poisonous parts: bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, stems. Symptoms they list: “While the plants are known to contain toxins, ingestion of moderate amounts of azalea (nectar or leaves) poses little toxic hazard.” NC State Extension
ASPCA's entry “Azalea” (Rhododendron spp), which covers the whole genus, lists it as toxic to dogs, cats and horses. Signs include: Vomiting (not in horses), diarrhea, weakness, cardiac… ASPCA
🌿 Never eat a wild plant unless you're certain of its ID; this isn't medical advice. Worried about a person? Call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222. Worried about a pet? Call your vet.
Where does it grow?
USDA PLANTS records mountain azalea in 15 states.
recorded by USDA PLANTS on our state lists not recorded
See the full list of states
Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas.
Mississippi counties with USDA records: Alcorn, Amite, Choctaw, Clarke, Copiah, Covington, DeSoto, Forrest, Franklin, George, Greene, Grenada, Hancock, Harrison, Hinds, Itawamba, Jackson, Jasper, Jones, Kemper, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Leake, Lee, Lincoln, Lowndes, Marion, Monroe, Newton, Noxubee, Oktibbeha, Pearl River, Perry, Pike, Rankin, Scott, Simpson, Smith, Stone, Tishomingo, Walthall, Webster, Wilkinson, Winston.
More Mississippi flowers
Sources
- USDA, NRCS. PLANTS Database, profile RHCA7.
- iNaturalist, Rhododendron canescens: taxonomy, research-grade observation counts and “Flowering” annotations, retrieved October 17, 2026.
- Wikipedia, Rhododendron canescens (lead quoted under CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Mississippi: Mississippi Noxious Weed List (2 Miss. Code R. 1-3-01-136.01).
- USFWS, ECOS species database (ESA listing check), October 17, 2026.
- NatureServe Explorer, Rhododendron canescens (global and state ranks).
- Edibility and toxicity: NC State Extension; ASPCA.
- Photo: drnancyjackson via iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0 · resized.