Rhododendron wallichii Hook.f.

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New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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

Genus

Synonyms

  • R. heftii Davidian

Other taxa in genus

Glossary

glabrous
Lacking hairs smooth. glabrescent Becoming hairless.
variety
(var.) Taxonomic rank (varietas) grouping variants of a species with relatively minor differentiation in a few characters but occurring as recognisable populations. Often loosely used for rare minor variants more usefully ranked as forms.

Credits

New article for Trees and Shrubs Online.

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

Shrub, 1–4.5 m. Leaves 7–14 × 3.5–6.5 cm, elliptic to ovate, glabrous above, with a sparse discontinuous indumentum of dark brown fasciculate hairs, to more or less glabrous. Flowers 5–8, in a lax truss, white to pale mauve or lilac, with or without flecks, funnel-campanulate, nectar pouches lacking, 25–50 mm; ovary almost glabrous, style glabrous. Flowering April-May. Royal Horticultural Society (1997).

Distribution  BhutanChina S Tibet India Sikkim, Bengal Nepal E

Habitat 3,000–4,000 m

RHS Hardiness Rating H6

Conservation status Least concern (LC)

White-flowered forms with leaves more or less glabrous beneath have been referred to R. heftii Davidian. This species is closely allied to R. campanulatum and treated by some as a variety of that species. Natural hybrids between R. wallichii and R. arboreum are found in cultivation. Royal Horticultural Society (1997).