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Peter Norris, enabling the use of The Rhododendron Handbook 1998
New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.
Recommended citation
'Rhododendron ochraceum' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.
Small tree, c.3 m; young shoots covered with glandular setae. Leaves 5.5–10 × 1.3–2 cm, apex cuspidate, lower surface covered with a dense matted yellow-brown indumentum composed of flagellate hairs. Flowers 8–12, in a dense inflorescence; calyx c.1 mm; corolla dark red, with nectar pouches, tubular-campanulate, c.35 mm; ovary densely covered with small gland-tipped bristles, style glabrous. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)
Distribution China Sichuan
Habitat 2,600–3,000 m
RHS Hardiness Rating H6
Conservation status Vulnerable (VU)
This distinctive species is probably allied to R. strigillosum but differs in the characteristic leaf indumentum. As it has only recently been introduced, it is not known how it will perform in cultivation. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)