Rhododendron aequabile J.J.Sm.

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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'Rhododendron aequabile' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-aequabile/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron aequabile' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-aequabile/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Tree or large shrub to 4 m, mostly terrestrial; young stems densely dark scaly. Leaves 4.5–10 × 2.5–5 cm, elliptic, the apex shortly acuminate or apiculate to obtuse, the edge somewhat revolute, the base long attenuate; upper surface at first brown-scaly, later white-scaly and finally, glabrous at maturity, with impressed midrib and distinct (5–6 pairs) of laterals, underneath the midrib only strongly raised; densely dark brown and persistently scaly underneath although sometimes shedding scales irregularly, scales well developed variable in size with small centres, often overlapping. Flowers 2–12 per umbel, rigidly disposed half hanging to semi-erect; calyx a low scaly ring; corolla mostly orange but also reported red, campanulate, 1.7–2.5 × 3–4 cm, laxly scaly on the tube and lower part of the lobes outside but these scales often obscure; stamens 10, distributed round the mouth of the flower; ovary densely silvery scaly, style glabrous. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  Indonesia Sumatra, Mts Singgalang, Kerintji and Pesagi

Habitat 1,200–2,870 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H1b

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

Easily grown although rather slow, the foliage is very handsome when young and covered in bronze scales. The flowers are attractive although in young specimens may be poorly displayed on the plants. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)