Rhododendron catawbiense, with common names Catawba rosebay,[2] Catawba rhododendron,[3] mountain rosebay,[3] purple ivy,[3] purple laurel,[3] purple rhododendron,[3] red laurel,[3] rosebay,[3] rosebay laurel,[3] is a species of Rhododendron native to the eastern United States, growing mainly in the southern Appalachian Mountains from West Virginia south to northern Alabama.

The fruit is a dry capsule 15–20 mm (19⁄32–25⁄32 in) long, containing numerous small seeds.

[4] Rhododendron catawbiense belongs to the subgenus Hymenanthes, within which it is further assigned to section Ponticum and subsection Pontica.

The taxonomy has been confused by a tendency to group all large leaved Rhododendrons under the catch-all R.

[5] Rhododendron catawbiense is cultivated as an ornamental plant, popular both in North America and in parts of Europe.