极多花杜鹃 ji duo hua du juan

Shrubs, evergreen to deciduous, 0.6–4 m; young shoots scaly, puberulent. Petiole lacking bristles; leaf blade narrowly elliptic, 3.5–6(–7.3) × 1.3–2.3 cm; base cuneate; margin without ciliae or bristles; apex acute; abaxial surface scales 3–5 × their own diameter apart, yellow or brown; adaxial surface ± without scales. Inflorescence lax. Pedicel (8–)10–18 mm, scaly, sometimes puberulent; calyx minute, discoid or undulate, sometimes ciliate; corolla broadly funnel-campanulate, white, sometimes flushed pink, to lilac, often with red or yellow flecks, to 3 cm. Capsule 11–18 mm. Fl. Apr–May.

Forests, forest margins, rarely meadows and cliffs; 2000–4500 m. Sichuan, Yunnan.

This species is close to Rhododendron yunnanense, and has been treated by recent Chinese authors (e.g., in FRPS 57(1): 73. 1999) as a synonym of it. However, R. pleistanthum can be distinguished by the puberulent young growth and by the lack of cilia or bristles on the young leaves and petioles.