千针叶杜鹃 qian zhen ye du juan

Shrubs, branchlets slender, coarsely strigose. Summer and winter leaves different. Petiole usually less than 2 mm, densely ferruginous strigose; leaf blade leathery, ovate or oblong-ovate, 1.2–2 × 0.7–1 cm; base cuneate at base; margin slightly revolute and undulate; apex acute; midrib prominent on both surfaces; lateral veins hidden on both surfaces. Inflorescence 2- or 3-flowered. Pedicel ca. 0.4 cm, densely strigose; calyx cup-shaped; lobes subovate to ovate-oblong, ca. 2 × 1.5 mm, outer surface and margin coarsely strigose, glabrous within; corolla shortly funnel-campanulate, 1.2–1.4 cm; tube cylindric, ca. 7 × 4 mm; lobes unequal, 0.5–0.75 × ca. 0.3 cm; stamens 5, unequal, 1.5–2 cm, filaments sparsely glandular-hairy near the base; ovary ovoid, ca. 3.5 mm, densely strigose; style 1.7–2 cm, longer than or ± as long as stamens, glabrous or hairy at base. Capsule conical subovoid, ca. 5 mm in diam., coarsely strigose.

Dense forests on mountain summits; 800–1500 m. N Fujian, W Guangdong, Guangxi, S Hunan.

Lower Taxa

• Rhododendron polyraphidoideum var. montanum P. C. Tam
• Rhododendron polyraphidoideum var. polyraphidoideum