Rhododendron thymifolium Maxim

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Kindly sponsored by
Peter Norris, enabling the use of The Rhododendron Handbook 1998

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron thymifolium' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-thymifolium/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Genus

Synonyms

  • Rhododendron polifolium Franch.
  • Rhododendron spilanthum Hutch.

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

calyx
(pl. calyces) Outer whorl of the perianth. Composed of several sepals.

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

Recommended citation
'Rhododendron thymifolium' from the website Trees and Shrubs Online (treesandshrubsonline.org/articles/rhododendron/rhododendron-thymifolium/). Accessed 2024-03-18.

Erect, shrub, to 1.2 m. Leaves (0.3–)0.5–1.4 × 2–6 mm, narrowly ovate or elliptic to oblanceolate, apex obtuse, usually shortly mucronate, lower surface covered with uniformly straw-coloured, touching to overlapping scales. Flowers 1(–2) per inflorescence; calyx c.1mm, rim-like or with rounded to deltoid lobes; corolla pale lavender blue to purplish, broadly funnel-shaped, 7–11 mm; stamens 10, exceeding the corolla; ovary scaly, style long or short, glabrous or (rarely) with a few hairs or scales at base. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

Distribution  China N Sichuan, Qinghai, Gansu

Habitat 2,600–4,600 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H6

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

Taxonomic note (incl. R. polifolium Franch. & R. spilanthum Hutch.) Royal Horticultural Society (1997)

This species is probably allied to R. websterianum and R. nitidulum, but it may be distinguished from both by its short calyx. Royal Horticultural Society (1997)