Description

Shrub, c, 1 m; young shoots covered with spreading, long and eglandular, and short and gland-tipped, ferrugineous hairs that become fuscous. Leaves dimorphic, chartaceous; spring leaves ovate-lanceolate, 4-9 x 1.5-5cm, 1.8-2.3 x as long as broad, apex acuminate to mucronate, base rounded, margin entire, upper surface sparsely pubescent at first, lower surface loosely hirsute and viscid when young; summer leaves 10-30 x 5-10mm, otherwise as for spring leaves; petioles 4-I3mm, with long eglanduiar and short and glandular, ferrugineous hairs. Inflorescence many-flowered; pedicels c.lOmm, pubescence as for petioles. Calyx c.4-5mm, lobes narrowly lanceolate, ciliate. Corolla tubular-campanulate, purplish-red, 22-25mm; tube c. 10mm, outer surface glabrous, inner surface puberulent. Stamens 5, puberulent below middle. Ovary rufous-setose, style hairy at base. Capsule c. 10mm long.

Distribution

China (E Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Hunan, Fujian)

Altitude

Habitat

Open woodland, ravines

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Chamberlain, D.F. & Rae, S.J. (1990) A Revision of Rhododendron IV Subgenus Tsutsusi. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 47(2):102