Rhododendron websterianum

Description with 17 photos. Photo: Finn Bertelsen. A low, compact, evergreen shrub. Young shoots erect, scaly, brownish. Petiole scaly, to 4 mm. Leaf blade ovoid, lanceolate or oblong, coriaceous, aromatic, to 16 mm. Leaf apex acute-obtuse, without mucro. Leaf base rounded cuneate. Leaf adaxial side silvery grey-green, densely scaly with colourless scales touching or overlapping. Leaf abaxial side light beige, densely scaly with light golden, rather uniform scales, touching or overlapping. Scale diameter 170-240 micrs. Inflorescence terminal, with 1-(2) flowers. Pedicel scaly, < 2mm. Calyx (=flowerbud scales), partly enclosing young capsules, with broad lingulate, irregular lobes. Central parts of lobes scaly, with an outer coloured (bluish or brown) rim zone, ciliate, 3.5-5.5 mm. Corolla colour and size unknown. Stamens 10. proximally pubescent. Style straight, lower part scaly or not, 14-18 mm. Capsule broadly cylindrical to slightly conical, grooved, densely scaly, with 5 loculi, 4-6 mm. Seeds without wings and with diminutive floating appendages, 0.9-1.3 mm. Localities of origin: FB31-2018, Xiangcheng County E, 4600 m; FB34-2018, Litang County SW, 4390 m. Native habitat: NW Sichuan, China, at 3200-4900 m according to Flora of China.