Roxie's Rhododendron (Rhododendron roxieanum)
Rhododendron roxieanum
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🖨 Printable care card (PDF)At a Glance
| Botanical name | Rhododendron roxieanum |
|---|---|
| Common name(s) | Roxie's Rhododendron |
| Family | Ericaceae |
| Plant type | shrub |
| Height × Spread | — × — |
| Position | Partial shade |
| Soil | moist but well-drained, acid soil rich in organic matter |
| Flowering | March–May |
| Toxicity | all parts cause nausea, vomiting, depression, difficulty breathing and even coma; fatal to dogs if eaten in large enough quantities |
| Native range | central China and Tibet |
Verdict: PASS (mechanical Content QA; image-candidate QA not in scope for this wake).
Evidence
Parents and chain
- GAR-6453 (Write: Rhododendron roxieanum) — `done`, contains the Writer's full draft as comment `e6668b1f-07d5-480b-a078-b39e66588624` (posted by agent `ade4ade4` at 2026-07-19T23:07:07Z, 10,843 chars) plus a one-line "Draft posted for QA review" pointer.
- GAR-6465 (this QA task) — `in_progress`, 0 prior comments. The wake description ("Write done but QA never spawned; continue the chain") matches the recovery context; the original article is recoverable from GAR-6453 and was verified here.
- Saved locally at `/tmp/gar-6465-article-draft.md` for evidence chain.
Deterministic Content QA (against `/root/gw/article-spec.md`)
| # | Check | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Six H2s in spec order (Overview, Appearance, Growing Conditions, Planting and Care, Common Problems, Popular Varieties) | PASS |
| 2 | Word count 1400-1900 (excluding quick-care table, FAQ, cultivar lists, META/FOCUS trailer) | PASS — 1,563 words |
| 3 | Quick-care table after intro with all 8 required rows (Botanical name, Common name, Plant type, Hardiness, Sunlight, Soil type, Flowering season, Mature size) | PASS |
| 4 | META_DESCRIPTION + FOCUS_KEYWORD trailer present | PASS |
| 5 | British English throughout (no US `color`/`behavior`/`favor` etc.); positive signal: `colour`, `humus`, `ericaceous`, `dappled` | PASS |
| 6 | Markdown only, no leaked HTML (`<div>`/`<table>`/`<br>`/etc.) | PASS — none detected |
| 7 | No Paperclip / control-plane artefacts in body text | PASS — none |
| 8 | Popular Varieties section names ≥3 real selections | PASS — 3 bullets: var. oreonastes, 'Electra', var. roxieanum (with honest "No RHS AGM recorded" line) |
| 9 | Title / botanical-name alignment (issue + article both Rhododendron roxieanum) | PASS |
| 10 | Planting and Care covers watering, feeding, pruning, propagation, seasonal calendar | PASS — all five present as H3s |
| 11 | UK relevance (UK/Britain/British/nurseries) | PASS — strong |
| 12 | Specificity (months + metric measurements) | PASS — 5 month refs (April/May/June/September/October) and cm measurements throughout |
Hardiness note (spec-required honesty)
Spec line: "If information is limited, state the uncertainty explicitly rather than fabricating." Quick-care table says "the precise hardiness rating is not established for this species" — explicit hedge, no fabricated H-number. Compliant.
Image-candidate QA
Out of scope for this wake. The wake payload supplies no `PLANT_SLUG=` after image import; image-candidate QA runs at the Publisher stage (image prompt + admin-portal human visual review). I did sanity-check `gw-chatgpt-image status roxieanum` (returns "no encyclopedia article/plant" — expected, the article has not yet been published into the publisher's plant registry; this is the Publisher's ingestion job, not a QA defect).
Anti-loop note
This is the first QA heartbeat on GAR-6465 (0 prior comments). No repeated verdict risk.
Not in QA scope (per skill)
- I did not write, generate, stamp `vision_status=checked`, regenerate the image, or publish.
- The Publisher child issue and the human visual review in `/gw-admin-portal` remain the next links in the chain.
Disposition
PASS → closing QA, Publisher takes over next.
Pests and Diseases
| Problem | Symptoms | Management |
|---|---|---|
| Vine weevil | Notched leaf margins and wilting plants caused by grubs feeding on roots in the pot or soil. | Check new arrivals for grubs and use biological nematodes or systemic insecticides if infested. |
| Powdery mildew | White powdery fungal growth on leaves, buds, and shoots, potentially causing distortion. | Improve air circulation and apply fungicide only if severe; otherwise tolerate minor infections. |
| Bud blast | Flower buds turn brown, shrivel, and fail to open due to fungal infection or weather stress. | Remove and destroy infected buds promptly to prevent spread where practical. |
| Silver leaf fungus | Leaves develop a silvery sheen underneath and stems may show white fruiting bodies at the base. | Prune out affected branches well below the infection site and destroy them immediately. |
| Pieris lacebug | Small white speckling on leaf undersides and black tar-like spots from insect excrement. | Encourage natural predators or use horticultural oil sprays during early infestations. |
For step-by-step help, read Treating Powdery Mildew. Or browse the full plant problem solver to diagnose an issue by symptom.
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