Rhododendron spiciferum Franch.

Small multi-branched shrubs, 0.2–0.6(–2) m tall; old branches less hairy, shoots thin; young shoots densely gray-white-pubescent and spreading-hispid. Petiole 1–3 mm, pubescent; leaf blade toughly papery, narrowly oblong or oblong-lanceolate, 1.2–4 × 0.4–1.2 cm; base cuneate or obtuse; margin revolute; apex rounded or acute, apiculate; abaxial surface yellowish green, densely yellow scaly, densely gray-white-pubescent, hairs longer along veins; adaxial surface deep green, densely pubescent and long-hispid; midrib raised abaxially, concave adaxially; lateral veins slightly concave or flat above and slightly raised below. Inflorescence subterminal, shortly racemose, 1–4-flowered; bud scales several, densely gray-white-villous and densely scaly. Pedicel 0.4–0.7 cm, sparsely or densely scaly, pubescent and sometimes sparsely long-hispid; calyx lobes 5, 0.5–2 mm, ovate or oblong-ovate, sparsely abaxially scaly, sparsely or densely gray-white-pubescent, margin ciliate; corolla funnelform, 5-lobed to below middle, pink or rarely white, 1.3–1.6 cm, tube longer than lobes; outer surface glandular-scaly; stamens 10, unequal, long ones nearly as long as corolla, filaments pubescent below; ovary 5-locular, densely gray-white-pubescent and scaly; style slender, exserted from corolla, pubescent below or glabrous. Capsule cylindric, 6–10 mm, scaly, pubescent. Fl. Feb–May.

W Guizhou, C and SE Yunnan.

Coniferous forests, forest margins, thickets on slopes; 800–1900 m.