Rhododendron keleticum I. B. Balf. & Forrest

In Great Britain and/or Ireland:
Foodplant / parasite
mostly hypophyllous uredium of Chrysomyxa ledi var. rhododendri parasitises live leaf of Rhododendron keleticum

Creeping small shrubs, 0.05–0.3 m tall; young shoots with dense stipitate or sessile scales, lacking strap-shaped setae. Petiole 1–3 mm, densely scaly, glabrous; leaf blade leathery, elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate, 0.6–2 × 0.3–1 cm; apex obtuse or rounded, apiculate; abaxial surface brown, scales dense, overlapping, arranged in 3–4 tiers, denticulate; adaxial surface scales usually absent, rarely present. Inflorescence terminal, 1(or 2)-flowered. Pedicel 1.5–3.2 cm, scaly, scales sometimes stipitate, glabrous or rarely with strap-shaped setae; calyx pale purplish red or green tinged with red, 5-lobed to the base; lobes 5–7 mm, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, persistent in fruit, abaxially ± scaly, sometimes also pubescent; corolla broadly campanulate, fresh purple or pale purplish red, inside with dark purple spots, 1.5–2 cm, outer surface densely scaly or pubescent; stamens 10, slightly unequal, often half as long as corolla; filaments villous at base; ovary 5-locular, densely scaly; style red, longer than stamens, glabrous. Capsule ovoid, 4–7 mm. Fl. Jul–Sep, fr. Aug–Oct.

SE Xizang, NW Yunnan [Myanmar].

Bamboo forests and meadows in high mountains, thickets, slopes, rock faces; 3000–3900 m.

R. keleticum in flower in north Wales Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rhododendron keleticum.

Rhododendron keleticum (独龙杜鹃) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to southeast Xizang and northwest Yunnan, China, as well as Myanmar. It grows at altitudes of 3,000–3,900 m (9,800–12,800 ft). It is a dwarf evergreen shrub growing to 5–30 cm (2.0–11.8 in) in height, forming either a mound or a mat of vegetation. It has leathery leaves, elliptic-lanceolate, elliptic, or ovate in shape, 0.6–2 by 0.3–1 cm in size. The flowers are pale purplish red or green tinged with red.

This hardy shrub is possibly the most suitable for a rock garden.