Rhododendron pruniflorum Hutchinson & F. K. Ward

Shrubs, evergreen, 0.3–1.2 m tall; stem and branches with brown smooth flaking bark. Petiole 2–8 mm, scaly; leaf blade leathery, aromatic, obovate to oblong, 2–4(–5) × 1–2(–2.5) cm; base obtuse or tapering; apex obtuse or rounded, mucronate; abaxial surface glaucous, scales almost contiguous, unequal, the smaller pale yellow, larger brown, widely separated; adaxial surface dark green, shiny, usually scaly. Inflorescence 3–5(–7)-flowered. Pedicel slender, 1.3–3.5 cm, scaly; calyx lobes 3–5 mm, oblong-ovate, persisting to enclose mature capsule, scaly, margin usually sparsely ciliate; corolla campanulate, dull crimson to plum purple, or rarely pink, 1–1.3 cm, tube 5–8 mm; outer surface not or only sparsely scaly; stamens 10, nearly as long as corolla, filaments densely pubescent in lower 1/2 or nearly to apex; ovary densely scaly; style stout, sharply bent or deflexed, short, usually scaly at base, otherwise glabrous. Capsule ovoid, 4–6 mm, densely scaly. Fl. May–Jul, fr. Jul–Aug.

SE Xizang [NE India, NE Myanmar].

Abies forests, Rhododendron thickets, rocky slopes; 3000–4000 m.

Rhododendron pruniflorum, the plum-flowered rhododendron, is an open, often rather leggy shrub found in northern Myanmar and nearby parts of India at elevations up to 4,000 m (13,000 ft). Growing to 1–1.5 m (3.3–4.9 ft), it occurs in coniferous woodlands that are dominated by species of fir (Abies).

The aromatic leaves are often glaucous, and the undersides have a coating of fine, pale grey scales. As the name pruniflorum (plum-flowered) suggests, the small, waxy flowers are an unusual plum-purple-red shade, though they may also be mauve to pink. The heads of 3–10 small flowers open late, not until early summer at higher elevations.