Description

Shrub, to 2m; shoots densely covered with adpressed flattened grey or rufous-grey hairs. Leaves dimorphic, persistent or subpersistent; spring leaves ovate-oblong to lanceolate, 1.5-6 x 0.8-2.5cm, 2-3 x as long as broad, apex acuminate or acute, base broadly cuneate, upper surface glabrous or glabrescent when mature, lower surface densely clothed with long strigose rufous or grey-brown hairs; summer leaves smaller, 10-20 x 5-8mm, ovate to broadly oval, apex acute to obtuse; petioles 3-8mm, densely strigose. Inflorescence 3-10-flowered; pedicels 3-5mm, densely stigose. Calyx c.3mm, lobes lanceolate, covered with straight grey or rufous-grey hairs. Corolla funnelform, white suffused rose to light purple, with upper lobe spotted, 12-17mm; tube 7-lOmm, 2mm wide at base, sparsely hairy within outer surface sparsely hairy to stipitale-glandular. Stamens 5, clothed with strigose hairs; style villose at base. Capsule up to 8mm, narrowly ovoid, densely strigose.

Distribution

China (Guizhou, Hunan, Fujian)

Altitude

Habitat

Thickets, wooded slopes

Nomenclatural History

Notes

References

Chamberlain, D.F. & Rae, S.J. (1990) A Revision of Rhododendron IV Subgenus Tsutsusi. Edinburgh Journal of Botany 47(2):131