Rhododendron praevernum Hutch.

Shrub, 1.5–5 m. Leaves 10–18 × 2.5–6 cm, elliptic-oblanceolate, base broadly cuneate, lower surface entirely glabrous. Flowers c.10 in a truss; calyx 1–2 mm; corolla 5-lobed, white, sometimes suffused with pink, with flecks and a conspicuous basal blotch, campanulate, nectar pouches lacking; stamens 10; ovary and style glabrous. Flowering February-April. Royal Horticultural Society (1997).

Distribution  China Sichuan, Hubei

Habitat 1,500–2,500 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H6

Awards AM 1954 (Col Lord Digby, Minterne, Dorset); flowers white, with a pinkish blue flush and crimson chocolate blotch.

Conservation status Least concern (LC)