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'Rhododendron chionanthum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Dwarf shrub, 0.6–1 m. Leaves 6–7.5 × 2.2–2.8 cm, obovate, lower surface with a discontinuous floccose tomentum composed of dendroid hairs; petioles setose. Flowers 4–6, in a tight truss; calyx 2–3 mm; corolla white, tubular-campanulate, with nectar pouches, c.35 mm; ovary densely rufous-tomentose abruptly contracted into the glabrous style. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)
Distribution Myanmar NE China W Yunnan
Habitat c.4,400 m
RHS Hardiness Rating H4
Conservation status Vulnerable (VU)
This species is allied to R. haematodes var. chaetomallum but differs in its white flowers and discontinuous leaf indumentum. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)