Azalea varieties have a wide variation of flower size, shape, form and color, which adds to their interest. The variations are also used to identify different azalea varieties, in terms of their flower parts:

corolla	the petals or lobes, typically 5 and joined at the inner base of the flower. The upper petal is known as the dorsal or upper lobe. The two petals to the side of the upper lobe are known as the upper wings. The lower petals are known as the lower wings.
calyx	the small green triangles, typically 5, at the outer base of the flower
pedicel	the slender green stalk that connects the base of the flower to a branch
pistil	the female organ of the flower, consisting of the ovary at the inner base of the flower, a slender hollow tube (style) extending from the ovary to a small round knob at the end (stigma), which becomes sticky to receive and retain pollen
stamens	the male organs of the flower, typically 1 or more per petal, each consisting of a threadlike stalk (filament) extending from the inner base of the flower to a small knob at the end (anther), containing pollen.

The different forms of azalea flowers are:

single	5 (typically) to 7 petals fused at the base, with a visible green calyx, and with a visible pistil and 5 (typically) to 10 visible stamens
hose-in-hose	the calyx is transformed into petals, such that it appears as two similar corollas, one inside the other and rotated so that all the petals are visible
semi-double	some stamens have been transformed completely or partially into petals, usually smaller than the outside corolla petals, and commonly contorted
semi-double hose-in-hose	transformed calyx and partially transformed stamens, combining the previous two forms
double	all the stamens have been transformed completely into petals, which may be similar in size and shape to the corolla petals, and the pistil may have been transformed, but the calyx has not been transformed
double hose-in-hose	the stamens and calyx have all been transformed into petals
spider	the petals are narrow and straplike rather than being fused at the base

Variations of flower shapes are an important part of the appearance of a particular azalea variety. The shapes may change somewhat from year to year on the same plant, and they may change from plant to plant grown in different locations. Colors may also change in these ways. The exact reasons for these changes are not known.

Petal shapes range from pointy to rounded to linear.

Petal margins may be flat, wavy, ruffled or frilled, or twisted.

The overall flower shape may be tubular, funnel-shaped, bell-shaped, open, flat-faced or recurved.

Flower size, if not specified, is given as the width, or the distance between the tips of the two upper wing petals. Flower length is the distance from the base of the tube to the level of the top of the petals--in other words, the straight height, not the sloping length of the petals.

Flower sizes range from 1/4'' to as much as 5'' in width for different varieties. The size may vary slightly for different plants of a given variety, particularly when planted in different locations.

Accurately describing the colors of azalea flowers is difficult. One approach is to describe a color by matching it to a complete and consistent set of color charts and names for each of the many thousands of different colors. Toward that end, a number of color charts and sets of color names have been created over the years.

Accurate color charts are difficult to print, and are therefore expensive. All but one of the color charts designed for horticultural use are out of print. The remaining chart, the Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart of 2001, is available for around $200. Rather than naming the colors, it has 202 numbered pages, each with a different hue, with 4 color chips to a page to show the hue with deepening intensity. This gives color numbers of, for example, RHS 53D, to indicate chip D of page 53.

These definitive color names or numbers are not very useful without seeing a color chip or flower of that color. The RHS 53D number, for example, is not meaningful by itself, nor or many of the color names used in the past, such as "chatenay pink" or "neyron rose".

The National Bureau of Standards Special Publication 440, Color Universal Language and Dictionary of Names, 1976 instead names 267 blocks in the color spectrum with a value (lightness), chroma (strength), hue modifier and hue, to give a name such as light yellowish pink. It also lists a large number of equivalent color names. The strength of such names is their rather universal understanding without reference to a chart. The weakness of such names is their generality--light yellowish pink, for example, covers too broad a range of different colors to be useful for identifying a specific plant by color.

Our azalea database uses these Univeral Color Language color names as a general guide to the flower color for landscape planning purposes, and allows for any number of color synonyms including the RHS color numbers, to make the color more specific and thus potentially more useful for identification.

You can see more about colors on our Color Entry Help page and Color Systems page.

Azalea flowers have a wide variation of color patterns. Their basic color patterns are:

self	all one color
blotched	a darker or lighter different color on the top petal, often extending to the upper wing petals
striped	thin to wide stripes of a different color, extending from the base to the margin of any of the petals. Discontinuous stripes are usually called dots, flecks or sanding.
margined	thin or wide margins of a different color, on all of the petals
sectored	all or part of one or more petals of a different color

Some azaleas, particularly the Satsuki azaleas, may exhibit all of these variations on the same plant. Cuttings from a branch with a particular variation tend to produce plants with primarily that variation. Cuttings from a branch with striped or sectored patterns produce plants that eventually show all the color variations.

The Japanese value these variations highly, and have named over 20 different variations.

#	Pattern name	Translation	Explanation / Example flowers
1	Shiromuji	solid white	no pattern
			Hakurei, Hakatajiro, Benigasa
2	Akamuji	solid red	no pattern
			Kazan, Taishonishiki
in 11b	Jiai	pale, in between color
			Nikko, Yama-No-Hikari, Bunka
3	Sokojiro	white throat	red or purple flower with the white center of the flower
			Seidai, Kagetsu, Shugetsu, Hagoromo-No-Hikari
4	Fukurin	jewel border	the opposite of sokojiro with the darker color in the inner part of the flower with the border around the petals white
			Nyohozan, Mine-No-Yuki Miyama-No-Yuki
8	Tsumajiro	white fingernail	white markings only at the tip of the petals
			Gyokudo, Yata-No-Kagami family
9	Tsumabeni	red fingernail	red or purple color only at the tip of the petals, the opposite of tsumajiro
			Kikoshi, Seiko-No-Tsuki, Gekkeikan
7	Tamafu or Shirotamafu	jewel spot	A lighter smudge of color in the very center of the petals. If this spot becomes larger it is called otamafu.
			Yata-No-Kagami, Shinkyo
10	Oshibori	major variegation
			Kotobukihime, Gyoko, Maiogi
11a	Koshibori	minor variegation
			Matsukagami, Benichidori, Gobinishiki
11b	Daisho shibori	major and minor variegation	A mixture of major variegation (thick stripes) and minor variegations (thin stripes)
			Kinkazan, Takara
12	Date shibori	flashy variegation	White crowded with a mixture of deep and light markings. Different width stripes (major and minor variegation), some extending from the edge of the petals to the base while others do not.
			Matsukagami, Koho, Jusho, Kagetsu, Hakurei-No-Hikari
13	Tate shibori	lengthwise variegation	Clear stripe that starts at the edge of the petal and goes to the base.
			Chiyo-No-Hikari, Fukuju, Chiyo-No-Tsuki
19	Hakeme shibori	brush variegation	Many fine parallel stripes
			Reiko, Reigetsu, Chiyo-No-Hikari, Meisei
22	Sarashi shibori		Many fine parallel stripes interspersed with a few thicker stripes.
			Matsushima, Kami-No-Yamakirin, Komei
20	Tobiiri shibori	patchy variegation	Irregular placing of lines smaller than those of koshibori
			Chiyo-No-Homare, Gyoko
18	Mijin shibori	fine particle variegation	Clouds of countless extremely small particles of color all over the petals. Smallest of the particle variegations.
			Gobinishiki, Kami-No-Yamakirin, Yayoi-No-Tsuki, Reigetsu
16	Fukkake shibori	spray variegation	A fine spray of many specks originating at the edges, tending toward the center of the petal.
			Kinkazan, Meisei, Gobinishiki, Asahi-No-Kaori
21	Harusame shibori	spring rain variegation	Many dots and very small lines all over the petals. Dots bigger than mijin and fukkake shibori.
			Eishi, Taihei, Kasho
17	Arare shibori	hail variegation	Many large specks scattered all over the petals. Biggest of the particle variegations.
			Matsu-No-Homare, Kami-No-Yamakirin
24*	Kanoko shibori	deer-like spots variegation	A spotted shibori similar to the markings of a spotted deer skin. Marks bigger than mijin shibori
			Komei, Kami-No-Yamakirin
15	Fukiage shibori	fountain variegation	Fine sprays and streaks of color extending in a feathery pattern from the center of the petal toward the edge, also called a tsukubane shibori.
			Aikoku, Seiun
23	Hanzome shibori	half variegation
			Matsukagami, Kaho, Shinsen, Hatsu-No-Hana
14	Shiro shibori	white variegation	white variegation on the base color of red or purple
			Shinkyo, Heiwa, Gunrei, Gyoten
6	Janome shibori	bulls-eye variegation	Fukurin with sokojiro, that is a white border and a white throat in variegation
			Kusudama, Sogen-No-Tsuki
5	Shibori sokojiro	variegation, white throat	part variegation, part white throat
			Kagetsu, Benikagami, Tsuki-No-Hikari, Hogetsu
in 11b	Jiai shibori	pale base with variegation	Pale color base with darker variegation
			Nikko, Hikari-No-Tsukasa, Yama-No-Hikari

__________
# Galle's Azaleas uses this number.
* Galle has Kano shibori, a different name, for what appears to be the same pattern.

azaleas (parent page)