隐蕊杜鹃 yin rui du juan

Rhododendron blepharocalyx Franchet; R. peramabile Hutchinson.

Shrubs, 0.15–1(–1.5) m tall; branchlets compact and intricate; bud scales deciduous. Petiole 1–3 mm, scaly; leaf blade oblong-elliptic to ovate, 0.5–1.2(–2) × 0.3–0.7(–1) cm; base cuneate to rounded; apex rounded, usually mucronate; abaxial surface uniform, scales contiguous to overlapping, buff to straw colored; adaxial surface pale grayish green, matt, densely scaly. Inflorescence 2–5(–10)-flowered. Pedicel 1–2(–5) cm, scaly; calyx reddish, lobes 0.5–1(–2) mm, triangular to oblong, persistent in fruit, margin with pale golden scales and usually ciliate; corolla tubular-funnelform, pale lavender, purple-blue to dark blue, rarely yellowish, (0.7–)0.8–1.2(–1.3) cm, tube 4–6(–7) mm, outer surface glabrous; inner surface pubescent; stamens (7–)10(–11), shorter than corolla tube, filaments pubescent towards base; ovary 1.5–2 mm, densely pale-scaly; style shorter than stamens, glabrous. Capsule ovoid, ca. 5 mm, densely scaly. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Jul–Aug.

Abies forests, Rhododendron thickets, alpine meadows, moist ravines; (2800–)3500–4500(–5000) m. C and W Sichuan, N Yunnan.