Rhododendron subestipitatum Chun ex P. C. Tam

This species was treated as a synonym of Rhododendron championiae in FRPS (57(2): 365. 1994); it may be distinguished by the usually 1-flowered inflorescence, the non-sticky buds, the shorter pedicels (ca. 5 mm), and the pink corolla. The specific epithet was misspelled “subespitatum” on p. 90 of the protologue, but was spelled correctly in the caption of the line drawing on p. 97.

Small shrubs; branches gray-brown, glabrous. Petiole 0–6 mm, glandular-setose; leaf blade subleathery, oblong-lanceolate, 7.5–13.5 × 2–4.5 cm; base broadly cuneate to subcordate; margin ciliate-setose; apex shortly acuminate; both surfaces glabrous at maturity except abaxially for sparsely setose; lateral veins ca. 14-paired. Inflorescence usually 1-flowered; flower buds not sticky. Pedicel ca. 1.7 cm, with brown glandular-villose hairs; calyx obsolete; lobes undulate; corolla campanulate, pink, ca. 5.5 cm; tube ca. 25 mm; lobes ca. 3 cm; stamens 10, unequal, 4.7–5.2 cm, filaments puberulent in lower third; ovary cylindric, ca. 8 mm, fulvous-puberulent; style ca. 4.7 cm. Capsule not known. Fl. Mar.

Cliffs. Guangdong.