Rhododendron ludlowii Cowan

Small spreading shrub, to 0.3 m; young shoots scaly, glabrous. Leaves c.1.5 × 1 cm, broadly obovate or oblong-obovate, apex obtuse, margin crenate, lower surface with distant narrowly rimmed brown scales. Flowers solitary, terminal; calyx lobes c.7 mm, ciliate, corolla yellow, drying greenish yellow, sometimes with red spots, broadly funnel-campanulate, 20–23 mm, tube c. 14 mm, outer surface densely scaly and pubescent; stamens 10; ovary scaly, impressed below the declinate, glabrous style that is longer than the stamens. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  China S Tibet

Habitat c.4,000 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H5

Conservation status Vulnerable (VU)