粉紫杜鹃 fen zi du juan

Rhododendron litangense I. B. Balfour ex Hutchinson.

Small, much-branched, compact shrubs, usually forming cushions, 0.8(–1.2) m tall. Petiole 1–3 mm, scaly; leaf blade ovate, elliptic or broadly elliptic to oblong, (0.4–)0.5–1.4(–1.6) × (0.25–)0.3–0.6(–0.8) cm; base broadly cuneate; apex acute or obtuse, mucronulate; abaxial surface pale gray-green, scales markedly to slightly spaced, usually uniformly rusty or amber; shiny; adaxial surface dark green, sparsely scaly, pale. Inflorescence (2–)3- or 4-flowered. Pedicel 1–3 cm, scaly; calyx lobes 2.5–4 mm, oblong, persistent in fruit, scales present, forming a sparse central band, ciliate; corolla broadly funnelform, purple, violet or rose-lavender, rarely white, (0.7–)0.8–1.5 cm, tube (2–)3–6 mm, outer surface usually sparsely scaly, rarely also pubescent, inner surface pubescent; stamens (5–) 10(or 11), filaments pubescent towards base; ovary 1.5–2.5 mm, scaly; style very variable, longer or shorter than stamens, glabrous or puberulous at base. Capsule ovoid, 4–6 mm, densely scaly. Fl. May–Jun, fr. Sep–Oct.

Mixed thickets, Rhododendron thickets, alpine meadows, open slopes; 2500–4600 m. SW Sichuan, NW Yunnan.