Rhododendron octandrum M. Y. He

Shrubs, ca. 2 m tall; branches many, fine; young shoots densely brown-strigose, hairs flat. Petiole 2–4 mm, densely brown-strigose; leaf blade thinly papery, narrowly elliptic-lanceolate or oblong-lanceolate, 4–4.5(–8) × 1.5–2 cm; base cuneate or broadly cuneate; margin entire; apex long-acuminate, mucronate; both surfaces densely coarsely yellowish brown strigose when young. Inflorescence 3–5-flowered. Pedicel ca. 0.4 cm, densely yellowish brown strigose; calyx lobes lanceolate, ca. 3 mm, outer surface coarsely strigose; corolla funnelform, pale red, yellowish when dried, without purple flecks, 2.2–2.7 × ca. 2.5 cm; tube cylindric, 12–14 × 4–5 mm in diam. at base, outer surface glabrous; lobes 5, spreading, membranous, oblong or obovate, 1–1.2 × ca. 0.6 cm, pubescent within; stamens 8, unequal, 2.3–2.7 cm, filaments flat, puberulent below; ovary conical, ca. 3 mm, densely coarsely yellowish brown strigose; style ca. 2.5 cm, slightly exserted, glabrous. Capsule conical, ca. 6 mm, coarsely strigose. Fl. May, fr. Sep.

NE Guizhou.

Open valley forests; ca. 1400 m.