Rhododendron albrechtii

Description with 19 photos. Photo: Finn Bertelsen. An open branched, few meter high, deciduous species, being fully hardy. Young shoots with stipitate glandular hairs. Petiole glandular hairy, finely pubescent in the groove, 2-3 mm. Leaf blade at first bronzy, later green, papery, obovate to lanceolate, with marginal stipitate glands, to 9 x 4 mm. Apex acute, with mucro. Leaf base cuneate. Leaf upper side glabrous with fine hairs along the midrib. Leaf lower side with scattered setae. Flowering from terminal buds before or with foliation. Flowerbud acute ovoid, glabrous; bud scales with fine marginal hairs. Inflorescence an umbel with 2-6 flowers. Pedicel covered by colourless, long stipitate glandular hairs, 12-24 mm. Calyx with 5 rounded lobes, densely covered by stipitate glandular hairs, 2 mm. Corolla with 5 lobes, flat funnel-shaped, zygomorphic, deep purplish red with yellow green spots, c. 50 mm wide, c. 15 mm deep. Ovary ovoid with inserted style, with 5 loculi, densely covered with long stipitate glandular hairs with amethyst coloured glands, turned outwards, 3 mm. Stamens 10, dimorphe: 5 long and 5 short, proximally pubescent, red coloured. Style glabrous, straight, red, c. 35 mm, with upwards bent, turbinate, bullate, yellow stigma, 1.7 mm. Capsule ovoid, covered by stipitate glandular hairs, 8-11 mm. Seeds with small floating appendages, 1.0-1.5 mm. Native habitat: Hokkaido, Honshu, Japan according to treeflower.la.coocan.jp