Rhododendron harrovianum Hemsley.

Shrubs or small trees, 1–6 m tall; young shoots long, densely scaly. Petiole 5–10 mm; leaf blade leathery, oblong, or oblong-lanceolate, 4.5–11 × 1.5–3 cm; base cuneate or broadly cuneate; apex acute or acuminate; abaxial surface scales contiguous or ca. 0.5 × their own diameter apart, unequal, the smaller pale brown, the larger brown, scattered; adaxial surface deep green, scales at first dense, later nearly absent. Inflorescence terminal or rarely subterminal, umbellate or shortly racemose, 3–5-flowered; rachis ca. 2 mm. Pedicel tinged with red, 1–2 cm, densely scaly; calyx lobes 1–2 mm, triangular or undulate; corolla funnelform-campanulate, pale or deep purplish red, inside without spots, or upper lobes with pale yellow spots, 2–3.5 cm, outer surface densely or sparsely scaly; stamens unequal, 1.8–3.8 cm, longer than corolla; ovary 5-locular, densely scaly; style longer than corolla, glabrous. Capsule cylindric, 8–17 mm. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Jun–Aug.

Forests, thickets; 1500–3300 m. S Gansu, S Shaanxi, N to SW Sichuan.