Rhododendron luciferum (Cowan) Cowan

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Peter Norris, enabling the use of The Rhododendron Handbook 1998

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron luciferum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-luciferum/). Accessed 2024-03-19.

Genus

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

indumentum
A covering of hairs or scales.

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron luciferum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-luciferum/). Accessed 2024-03-19.

Shrub or small tree, 1.5–7.5 m. Leaves coriaceous, 8.5–11 × 3–4.5 cm, elliptic to ovate, apex acute to acuminate, lower surface covered with a thick rusty brown indumentum composed of dendroid hairs. Flowers 8–10, in a dense truss, pale yellow, with at least a few red flecks, funnel-campanulate, without nectar pouches, 30–45 mm; ovary densely covered with a pale brown tomentum; style glabrous. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  China SE Tibet

Habitat 3,350–4,000 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H6

Conservation status Vulnerable (VU)

This species is closely allied to R. lanatum but it is usually a larger plant, with a reddish brown leaf indumentum. It also has a more Easterly distribution. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)