Rhododendron flammeum (synonymous with R. speciosum) is a southern native azalea commonly referred to as the Oconee Azalea. Its blossoms are approximately 1.2 to to 1.8 inches across and come is shades of yellowish orange, through orange to deep red. This species can be distinguished from the earlier blooming R. austrinum in that the flowers usually have a blotch, they are not fragrant, nor do they have sticky glandular hairs on the corolla tube.

Exact date of discovery for R. flammeum is not known, but plants of this species were first described by Aiton at Kew Gardens in 1789 and were probably sent there by William Bartram prior to that date. This species is a heat tolerant shrub of the Piedmont region of Georgia and South Carolina, and holds much breeding potential where hot summer stress is a problem.