Rhododendron lowndesii Davidian

Creeping shrub, to 0.25 m; young shoots glabrous. Leaves deciduous, thin, 1.5–2.5 × 0.6–1.1 cm, narrowly elliptic to oblanceolate, margin slightly crenulate, ciliate, lower surface with distant yellow scales with broad translucent margins. Flowers 1–2, in a terminal inflorescence; calyx lobes c.3 mm; corolla yellow, sometimes spotted or streaked with red, campanulate, 13–15 mm, outer surface usually densely scaly; stamens 10; ovary scaly, style short, deflexed. Flowering May-June. Royal Horticultural Society (1997).

Distribution  Nepal

Habitat 3,800–4,550 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H4

Conservation status Vulnerable (VU)