Description
Rhododendron ochraceum var. brevicarpum PW#079 One of the best of the new introductions. This ornamental and distinct species forms a rounded evergreen shrub. The narrow leaves are covered with a thick layer of orange-brown indumentum on the undersides. The petioles and young stems are bristly and the plant looks like a cross between R. strigillosum (to which it is closely related) and R. griersonianum (of course, it is not this cross). The bell-shaped flowers are deep red with darker nectar pouches and are similar to the flowers of R. strigillosum but later in the season and a bit smaller. This species is considered by Chinese botanists to be one of the rarest rhododendrons in China, with only a few remnant populations in scattered isolated pockets of forest and on steep limestone cliffs. This is our first offering of this eastern variety of the species. (0R13) RSBG#2004/266