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Rhododendron 'Boule de Neige'  (syn. 'Ball of Snow')                (R. caucasicum × R. catawbiense hybrid)

• Broadleaf evergreen, 3-4 ft (0.9-1.2 m), dense, rounded.  Leaves elliptic to obovate, 10 cm long, 5 cm wide, light green.  Flower buds are pink but open into white flowers, funnel-shaped, about 6 cm wide, flecked with a few brown or yellow-green spots on the upper lobe, in compact, hemispherical clusters; calyx very small.
• - 25^o F, mid, 3/3/3 [flower / plant & foliage / performance; scale 1 (poor) - 5 (best)].  Tolerates sun, is cold hardy, vigorous, has a good habit, and easy to grow.
• Considered an "ironclad", an old hybrid (introduced by Oudieu in 1878) but still popular, especially in northeastern North America.  Similar in appearance to 'Cunningham's White', but it has broader leaves and its flower clusters denser.
• Oregon State Univ. campus: along the wide path north of the Bell Tower on the east of the Library Quad.