by 
The Curious Bag
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In the mid-Atlantic United States, azaleas typically bloom from mid-April to mid-May. Over 10,000 named varieties exist, according to the Azalea Society of America. The shrubs looks similar to rhododendrons but have their own distinguishing features.
Stamens
Azalea flowers typically contain five to six stamens, which are the long, thin stalks around the center of the flower with balled tips containing pollen.
Leaves
Azalea leaves are soft, thin and pointed in appearance with long, parallel hairs along the surface and underside.
Flowers
Azaleas often have one flower per stem, but numerous short stems on one shrub cause an explosion of color when in full bloom. Typical colors are white, purple, pink, red, orange and yellow. Many are a combination of two colors.
Height
Azaleas continually grow year after year as woody shrubs that vary in height from four to five feet, to tens of feet or less than a foot.
Petals
Common single azalea flowers typically have five petals with small green sepals underneath. Other varieties have colored sepals and/or stamen petals which create 10 to 12 or over 30 petals that can appear long and narrow, more triangular or more rounded.
Source:
Azalea Society of America: Frequently Asked Questions
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