| English Name | South China Rhododendron |
|---|---|
| Status in China | Least Concern (LC) |
Description:
Shrubs, 2-5 m tall; branchets almost glabrous. Leaves thick leathery, obovate-lanceolate, obovate or oblong-lanceolate, 4-12 cm long and 2-3.5 cm wide, apex rounded, sometimes emarginated, base cuneate, abaxial surface thinly covered with a grayish to fawn indumentum at first, later glabrescent; petiole 1-1.5 cm long, glabrescent. Inflorescence terminal, racemose-umbellate，4-6-flowered；corolla funnel-campanulate, 4.5 cm long, pink, 5-lobed, lobes rounded emarginated; stamens 10-12, 2-3 cm long, filaments sparsely tomentose on lower half; ovary stellate-tomentose, style 5 cm, with a few glands at base. Capsule ovoid, woody, 1.5 cm long.
Distribution:
Ma On Shan, Lantau Island. Hainan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Zhejiang.
Habitat and Ecology:
In thickets on hillslopes. Flowering: Apr.-May; fruiting: Oct.
The colourful flowers and thick leathery leaves of this species make it very suitable for cultivation as an ornamental . In Hong Kong, most of the localities of its occurrence are in Country Parks under protection. The locality at Ma On Shan has been listed as a SSSI. This species is also protected by the Forestry Regulations (Cap. 96 sub. leg.). AFCD have been actively propagating this plant. Ex-situ conservation has also been conducted and living specimens are planted in the Shing Mun Arboretum.
References:
譚沛祥，1987：廣東植物誌1：323-324。圖354。廣東科技出版社，廣州。
