The Pacific Rhododendron Bush on Vancouver Island is very rare. There are only a couple of areas where they grow, I am only familiar with the Parksville site at Rhododendron Lake.
This plant is a perennial tree or shrub. This shrub is native to the Pacific Northwest. It has its most active growth period in the spring and summer.
It has dark green foliage and inconspicuous purple flowers, with an abundance of conspicuous black fruits or seeds. The greatest bloom is usually observed in the spring, with fruit and seed production starting in the summer and continuing until fall.
Leaves are evergreen and retained year to year. The plant has a moderate life span relative to most other plant species and a moderate growth rate. At maturity, the typical bush will reach up to 5 m high, with a maximum height at 10 years of 7 m.
The shores of Rhododendron Lake in the Parksville area are lined with pink rhododendrons every spring, in late May or early June. Growing wild, these plants are believed to belong to a strain that survived the last ice age.