Rhododendron: Over 60 million years rhododendrons spread

Over 60 million years rhododendrons spread around the northern hemisphere, from boreal woods and high mountains, to tropical rainforests, where many species perch on high branches as epiphytes (a plant or plant-like organism that grows on the surface of another plant). They reached North America, Japan, parts of Europe, most of Asia and even Australia. It was native in the British Isles for a while, until the later ice ages drove it out. Rhododendrons are fondly referred to as "Rhodos" in the mountains. They are considered as the ‘glory of the Himalayas’. The most notable species, Rhododendron arboreum, thrives as a tree in lower altitudes, while smaller shrubs dominate higher elevations. What is Rhododendron? Rhododendron is a genus of flowering plants that includes about 1,000 species, primarily native to the temperate regions of Asia, North America, and Europe, as well as to the tropical regions of southeast Asia and northern Australia. Rhododendron is the common and genus name for a large and diverse group of woody shrubs and small (rarely large) trees in the flowering plant family Ericaceae. It is a large genus with over 1000 species, and subdivided into various subgenera (commonly eight, nine, or five, depending on the taxonomic scheme). The trees may be deciduous or evergreen and the spirally arranged leaves can vary significantly in size according to species, from one to two centimeters (0.4-0.8 inches) up to 100 ...