Rhododendron barbatum Wall. ex G. Don

Large shrubs or small trees, 1.5–8 m tall; old branches grayish brown, glabrous; young branches setose, rarely glabrous. Petiole 12–22 mm, sparsely blackish brown glandular-setose or glabrous; leaf blade leathery, oblong to obovate-oblong, 9.8–18 × 3.5–5.8 cm; base truncate to rounded; margin reflexed; apex acuminate; abaxial surface whitish green, midrib and base setose, other parts slightly hairy when young; adaxial surface green; midrib raised abaxially, impressed adaxially; lateral veins 17–21-paired. Inflorescence densely umbellate, 10–20-flowered; rachis ca. 5 mm, glabrous. Pedicel 0.5–1.3 cm, glabrous; calyx green flushed red, cupular; lobes 5, 7–15 mm, broadly ovate or obovate-oblong, glabrous or with base hairy; margin erose; corolla tubular-campanulate, fleshy, deep red to blood-red, 3.1–3.6 × 3–3.6 cm, with 5 deep blackish red nectar pouches at base, glabrous; lobes 5, ± rounded, ca. 1.8 × 1.6–1.8 cm, apex deeply emarginate; stamens 10, unequal, 1.3–2.1 cm, filaments white, glabrous, anthers subelliptic, purplish black, 1.6–2 mm; ovary cone-shaped, ca. 5 mm, densely short-glandular-hairy; style ca. 1.6 cm, glabrous; stigma small, reddish, ca. 1.8 mm wide. Capsule cylindric, ribs obvious, slightly curved, 20–24 mm, with vestigial glandular hairs; calyx persistent; style persistent. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Aug–Sep.

S Xizang [Bhutan, India, Nepal, Sikkim].

Abies forests, Rhododendron thickets; 2400–3500 m.