Azaleas

Azaleas ~ Are flowering shrubs that are part of the Rhododendron genus. Deciduous azaleas are in the Pentanthera subgenus, and evergreen azaleas in the Tsutsusi subgenus. There are more than 10,000 different cultivars of these flowers, coming in many different colors, including purple, white, yellow, orange, red, reddish-orange and pink. As with the majority of flowers, there is symbolism and meaning attached to azaleas.

Primary Meanings
In China, the meaning behind azaleas is womanhood. The Chinese believe that azaleas are symbols of womanhood and temperance. In other parts of the world, the azalea is thought to symbolize the concepts of fragility and passion.

Chinese Culture
Although in China the azalea is associated with being a symbol of womanhood, it also means "the thinking home bush," which is "xiang shu" in Chinese. This means that it is a shrub that represents thoughtfulness and pensiveness.The azalea was made famous by the Tang Dynasty poet Du Fu who vibrantly detailed them in some of his works, such as "A Sea of Blood Red Azaleas."