Rhododendron occidentale is the only native azalea that grows naturally west of the Rocky Mountains in the United States. It is a difficult garden plant in the South Eastern United States, and seems to object to the heat and humidity that often accompany the summers there.
R. occidentale was discovered in the 19th century and specimens taken to England, where it was used in the development of the Exbury azaleas.
Much of the characterization of R. occidentale in the 20th century was done by Frank Mossman and Britt Smith and is described in a pair of QBARS articles listed below.
In 2010, the Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Display Garden was dedicated in the Lake Wilderness Arboretum in Washington--see JARS and Pacific Horticulture references below.
Michael McCullough has continued to search for specimens along the Pacific states, particularly concentrating on collections in Southern California. His hybridization efforts have continued to this day.
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Recommended for further reading:
RHODODENDRON OCCIDENTALE - ONE SPECIES OR MANY?, Frank D. Mossman, M.D., and Britt M. Smith, Quarterly Bulletin of the American Rhododendron Society Vol. 23 No 3, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v23n3/v23n3-mossman.htm
FURTHER TRIPS TO THE RHODODENDRON OCCIDENTALE PATCHES, Frank D. Mossman, and Britt Smith, Quarterly Bulletin of the American Rhododendron Society Vol. 22 No 3, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v22n3/v22n3-mossman.htm
DEDICATION OF THE SMITH-MOSSMAN WESTERN AZALEA DISPLAY GARDEN,
Bob Dunning, Journal of the American Rhododendron Society Vol 54 No 4, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v54n4/v54n4-dunning.htm
Smith-Mossman Western Azalea Garden by: Rick Peterson Richie Steffen, Pacific Horticulture April 2010, available at http://www.pacifichorticulture.org/articles/smith-mossman-western-azalea-garden/
EXPLORING FOR THE WESTERN AZALEA IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, Michael A. McCullough, Journal of the American Rhododendron Society Vol 39 No. 2, available at http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/JARS/v39n2/v39n2-mccullough.htm