Rhododendron tatsienense

Description with 23 photos. Photo: Finn Bertelsen. An upright, evergreen shrub. Hardiness in the garden unknown.Young shoots scaly with convex scales and puberulent, crimson. Petiole scaly, puberulent in the mid-groove, crimson, to 8 mm. Leaf blade, obovate to lancet, coriaceous, aromatic, to 55×25 mm. Leaf apex acute, obtuse or rounded, with mucro. Leaf base obtuse to acute. Leaf adaxial side dull, middle green, scaly. Scales 140-170 micrs., 2-4 x their diameter apart. Leaf abaxial side light grey-green, scaly. Scales unequal, 90-230 micrs. Smallest scale diam. 39% of largest scale diameter. Scales (0) 1-2 (3) x their diam. apart. Flower buds 3-6, terminal/subterminal. Scales of flower buds densely scaly, with glabrous midrib extended into a mucro. Inflorescence with 2,3 or 4 flowers. Pedicel scaly, 6-8 mm. Calyx saucer-shaped with undulating margin, scaly, without marginal hairs, c. 1 mm. Corolla with 5 lobes, widely funnel-shaped, white without coloured spots or blotch, with a few scales externally and internally, puberulent in the throat, 25 mm wide and 10-15 mm long. Ovary ovoid, densely scaly, channelled, c. 3 mm. Stamens 10 (12), unequal in length, puberous towards base, white with redbrown anthers. Style glabrous, straight, slightly inserted in the ovary, white, 15 mm long, with slightly expanded, dark brown, disc-shaped, bullate stigma. Capsule scaly, conical, channelled, to 8 mm. Seeds without wings and with diminutive floating appendages, 0.7-0.9 mm. Locality of origin: 60 km  south of Muli, Sichuan. Alt. 3125 m. Native habitat: N and SW Sichuan, N Yunnan, China according to Flora of China eFloras org.

Remarks: As illustrated, inflorescences show flowers with either 10 or 12 anthers on the same plant.