Rhododendron zhongdianense L. C. Hu

This species was included within Rhododendron balfourianum in Fl. Yunnan. (4: 418. 1986), but differs from that species in having the leaf blade abaxially with a thick, felted, non-agglutinated, fawn indumentum, in the smaller flowers, and in the sparsely pubescent and glandular ovary.

Shrubs, 2–3 m tall; young shoots ca. 5 mm in diam., sparsely glandular, glabrescent. Petiole 10–15 mm, sparsely pubescent and glandular; leaf blade leathery, oblong to ovate-oblong, 7–10 × 2.5–3.5 cm; base obtuse or rounded; apex subacute, apiculate; abaxial surface indumentum fawn, thick, felted, compact, hairs stellate, midrib sparsely puberulent and red-glandular; adaxial surface glabrous; midrib prominent abaxially. Inflorescence racemose-umbellate, 6–8-flowered; rachis ca. 4 mm, floccose. Pedicel 1.5–1.8 cm, densely shortly glandular-hairy; calyx pubescent, lobes 5, 5–7 mm, unequal, obovate-oblong, densely shortly glandular-hairy on outer surface and margin; corolla funnel-campanulate, pale red, purple-spotted on upper lobes, 2.5–3.5 cm, both surfaces glabrous, lobes 5; stamens 10(–12), filaments white-puberulent at base; ovary subcylindrical, 4–5 mm, sparsely pubescent and shortly glandular-hairy; style short-glandular-hairy at base; stigma discoid. Fl. Jun.

NW Yunnan.

Forests; ca. 3700 m.