Rhododendron hirtipes Tagg

Shrubs or small trees, 2–4 m tall; older branches grayish white, usually glabrous; young shoots green or brownish when young, ca. 3 mm in diam., densely glandular-setose, setae 3–5 (–7) mm, very short-lived. Petiole terete, shallowly impressed adaxially, 15–30 mm, densely glandular-setose; leaf blade leathery, long-elliptic to obovate-elliptic, broadest above the middle, 6–10 × 4–5.5 cm; base rounded to subcordate; apex rounded, apiculate; abaxial surface greenish, sparsely glandular, midrib glandular-setose; adaxial surface deep green, glabrous except for glandular setae near base of midrib; midrib prominently raised abaxially, impressed adaxially; lateral veins 12–15-paired, flat and visible on both surfaces. Inflorescence racemose-umbellate, 2–5-flowered; rachis short, 1–3 mm, glandular-setose. Pedicel 1–2 cm, densely glandular-setose; calyx membranous, cup-shaped; lobes 5, 8–12 mm, unequal, elliptic or ovate, outer surface shortly glandular-hairy at base and on margin, 5–10 × 3–4 mm; corolla funnelform-campanulate, pink, throat with deep purple spots, 3.5–4 cm, lobes 5, unequal; filaments pubescent at base; anthers long-elliptic, ca. 2.5 mm; ovary cylindric-conical, ca. 5 mm, densely glandular-hairy; style 3–3.5 cm, as long as corolla, glandular-hairy towards base; stigma expanded, slightly lobed. Capsule cylindric, slightly curved, 15–22 × ca. 6 mm. Fl. May, fr. Jul.

E Xizang.

Wet coniferous forests, riversides; 3300–3700 m.