Gen. Syst. 3: 846 (1834)
WFO ID: wfo-0000400297
IPNI ID: urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:332902-1
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Shrub or small tree to 2m tall, usually non-rhizomatous; young twigs red-brown, sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs and multicellular eglandular hairs, occasionally with multicellular eglandular hairs, rarely glabrous. Vegetative bud scales glabrous or sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs, rarely also with multicellular eglandular hairs abaxially; margin unicellular ciliate. Leaf blade membranaceous, ovate or obovate to elliptic, the veins raised and prominent below (4.1-)4.9-9.5(-13.2) x (1.7-)1.8-2.9(-4.3)cm, base acute to oblique; apex acute to obtuse, often mucronate; adaxial surface sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs and multicellular eglandular hairs, occasionally with only multicellular eglandular hairs, or only unicellular hairs or glabrous, the midvein densely covered with unicellular hairs; abaxial surface glabrous, glaucous, or sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs, the midvein sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs and multicellular eglandular hairs, occasionally with only multicellular eglandular hairs; margin entire, ciliate with multicellular eglandular hairs; petiole 0.2-0.4(-0.6)cm long, sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs and multicellular eglandular hairs, rarely with only multicellular eglandular hairs. Flower bud scales chestnut brown; abaxial surface sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs, rarely glabrous; margin unicellular-ciliate. Flowers appearing before or with the leaves; inflorescence a shortened raceme of 3 to 13 flowers. Pedicels (0.4-)L0-2.5(-3.0)cm long, densely covered with unicellular hairs and multicellular eglandular hairs. Sepals less than 0.1-Q.3(-0.4)cm long, varying in length on the same flower; margins setose; abaxial surface sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs or densely covered with unicellular hairs and sparsely covered with multicellular eglandular hairs. Corolla yellow, golden-yellow, orange-yellow or yellow-orange; flame-red, orange-red or red; with spots on the upper corolla lobe; fragrance sweet, the tube shorter than the limb and broadly expanding into it; upper corolla lobe (1.5-)2.0-2.8(-3.4) x (L3-)1.7-2.9(-3.5)cm; lateral lobes (1.6-)2.1-3.4(-4.1) x (0.7-)1.3-2.2(-2.9)cm; corolla tube (1.2-)1.5-2.8(-3.0)cm long, 0.3-0.6(-1)cm wide at base; outer surface of corolla sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs; inner surface of corolla sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs, rarely glabrous. Stamens (3.3ó)3.6-5.4(-5.6)cm long, with dense terete or flattened unicellular hairs on proximal (1.1-)1.3-2.5(-2.6)cm of filament, exserted 0.0-0.4(-0.7)cm beyond throat of corolla. Style (3.0-)4.8-6.1 (-6.7)cm long, exserted (0.0-)0.2-1.3(-1.5)cm beyond throat of corolla, with dense unicellular hairs on proximal 0.0-1.8(-2.9)cm, stigma less than 0.1-0.2cm wide. Ovary 0.3-0.5(-0.6)cm long, 0.2-0.3cm wide at the base, densely covered with unicellular hairs and sparsely to densely covered with multicellular hairs on the ribs, or evenly covered with unicellular hairs, with a dense crown of unicellular hairs along the nectary. Capsules (1.3-)1.6-3.0(-3.6) x (0.5-)0.7-1.2 (-1.4)cm, sparsely to moderately covered with unicellular hairs, and sparsely covered with multicellular eglandular hairs. Seeds pale to dark chestnut brown, ovate or elliptic to fusiform, (2-)2.5-4.7(-5.5) x 0.9-2.4(-3.0)mm, body (l.l-)1.2-2.1(-2.3) x (0.3-)0.5-0.9mm; testa expanded and dorsiventrally flattened surrounding the body, the cells elongate, with tapering end-walls. ** * Rhododendron molle * var. * japonicum * ** Leaves 4.1-11.6 x 1.7-3.7cm, the abaxial surface glabrous to densely covered with unicellular hairs (0-19 per mm ). Flowers yellow to orange-red. Style, rarely glabrous, usually densely covered with unicellular hairs on proximal 2.9cm. Fruits sparsely to densely covered with unicellular hairs (5-60 per mm2) and with multicellular eglandular hairs (0-3 per mm2) ** * Rhododendron molle * var. * molle * ** Leaves 5.9-13.2 x 2.0-4.3cm, the abaxial surface glabrous to very densely covered with unicellular hairs (0-60 hairs per mm ). Flowers yellow. Style glabrous or covered with dense unicellular hairs on proximal 0.1cm. Fruits sparsely covered with unicellular hairs (1.7-3.4 per mm ) and with multicellular eglandular hairs (0-24 per mm2 ). Chromosome number: In = 26 (Sax, 1930; Nakamura, 1931)
China and Japan ** * Rhododendron molle * var. * japonicum * ** Japan. From southern Hokkaido, south throughout Honshu, to Shikoku and Kyushu in open situations in thickets, woods, moors and hillsides, also on volcanic ash. ** * Rhododendron molle * var. * molle * ** Widely distributed throughout the People’s Republic of China, from Jiangsu province south to Guangdong and west to eastern Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.
Exposed grassy hillsides and meadows, open thickets and moors, open woods. ** * Rhododendron molle * var. * molle * ** Found on exposed grassy hillsides, dry meadows, brushy slopes, stoney hills with Pinus, and open pine forests.
Kron, K.A. (1993) A Revision of Rhododendron Section Pentanthera. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 50(3):276