Here's a source.

Here is a link that might be useful: Musser Forests

Thanks, esh ga, for the link to Musser Forests, Inc. They certainly seem to have good prices, don't they?

There are many forms of R. catawbiense. It varies depending up on where the seed is collected. There are also selected forms which are thought to be better than the typical, or unique. Some sources are:

Hank Schannen at Rare Find Nurseries in New Jersey lists 3 varieties of R. catawbiense (Album, Nantucket, Silberrief) at:
http://www.rarefindnursery.com/

Girard Nursery in Ohio lists R. catawbiense "Boursault" at:
http://www.girardnurseries.com/

Greer Gardens in Oregon lists about R. catatbiense (Album, Boursault, Silber Rief) at:
http://www.greergardens.com/

Weston Nurseries in Massachusetts lists about 3 forms of R. catawbiense (Album, Boursault, Grandiflorum) at:
http://www.westonnurseries.com/

These are extremely popular and common varieties, so they should be easy to find in the spring at most garden centers.

Yes, you can usually find them at Home Depot in the big shipment of spring plants.

Dear esh ga and rhodyman,
Thanks for the information you've shared with me. I'm semi-conscious that these named cultivars are generally available in the nursery trade. However, what I would like to find is a nursery source, mail order or otherwise, that has propagated, through tissue-culture or whatever method, specimens of _Rhododendron catawbiense_ identical to those that grow wild in the mountains. Maybe _The NC Market Bulletin_ would be a good source for me to check. I don't want to go on a foray into the mountains to look for little seedlings.

That is what these named cultivars are. They are collected in the wild and then propagated through cuttings or tissue culture and sold. They are selected as the best of those collected in the wild.

No two R. catawbiense in the wild are perfectly identical if they came from different seedlings. Although they are a species, they are vary slightly. Different locations have slightly different populations. There is a range in color, flower size, time of blooming, etc. It depends partly on altitude, latitude, and history.

Do buy from a nursery. Do not take plants from the wild. Many people drive for miles to come and see your rhododendrons in the wild bloom each year.

Thanks, again, rhodyman. I'll rely on those nurseries you and esh ga have suggested.