Rhododendron kesangiae D.G. Long & Rushforth

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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'Rhododendron kesangiae' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-kesangiae/). Accessed 2024-04-19.

Genus

Rhododendron
Subsect. Grandia

Infraspecifics

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

References

Royal Horticultural Society (1997). The Rhododendron Handbook 1998

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron kesangiae' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-kesangiae/). Accessed 2024-04-19.

Rhododendron kesangiae var. kesangiae flowering at Benmore Botanic Garden, Argyll, on 1st May 2017. This plant (19841987*C) was grown from Sinclair & Long 5671. Image Tom Christian.

Large shrub or tree, 3–12 m; bark rough. Leaves (15–)20–30 × (7–)10–16 cm, broadly elliptic to obovate, apex rounded to more or less truncate and mucronate, lower surface covered with a dense white to silvery matted floccose indumentum composed of dendroid hairs; petioles terete. Flowers 7–8-lobed, 20–25, in a dense truss, pale to deep pink, with a large purple basal blotch and nectar pouches, funnel-campanulate, 30–47 mm; stamens 14–16; ovary densely glandular, with or without a sparse eglandular tomentum. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution Bhutan

Habitat 2,750–3,500 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H4

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

Rhodododendron kesangiae CHM 3039 – a truly tremendous truss. Ray Wood, Castle Howard, April 2020. Image John Grimshaw.

The combination of large dark foliage and the bright pink flowers of Rhododendron kesangiae make it extremely striking (Ray Wood, Castle Howard, North Yorkshire, April 2022). Image John Grimshaw.

Foliage on Rhododendron kesangiae at Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium (9 October 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Leaves on Rhododendron kesangiae, with the lamina elliptic to obovate (Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium – 9 October 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Ovoid bud on Rhododendron kesangiae (Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium – 9 October 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

Thin floccose layer of hairs on Rhododendron kesangiae (Arboretum Wespelaar, Belgium – 9 October 2019). Image © Jan De Langhe - Arboretum Wespelaar.

The white flowered form of Rhododendron kesangiae, sometimes distinguished as var. album, growing at Benmore Botanic Garden, Argyll, UK. This plant (19942917*A) was raised from Bowes Lyon 10147. 13th May 2022. Image Tom Christian.

var. album D.G.Long

Flowers white.

A recently described species that is apparently quite common in C Bhutan.

var. kesangiae

Flowers rich purple.

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