Rhododendron neriiflorum Franch.

Shrubs 1–3 m tall; bark gray-brown, usually falling off in flakes; young shoots 3–4 mm in diam. below inflorescence, whitish tomentose, glabrescent. Petiole purple, 10–15 mm, glabrous when mature or glandular; leaf blade leathery, oblong to obovate, 4–11 × 1.5–3.5 cm; base obtuse; apex obtuse or rounded, apiculate; abaxial surface glaucous, glabrous, epidermis papillate, sometimes markedly so and with strong reticulations; adaxial surface green, smooth, glabrous; midrib prominent abaxially, grooved adaxially; lateral veins 15–17-paired. Inflorescence umbellate, 5–12-flowered; rachis ca. 10 mm, tomentose. Pedicel 1–1.5 cm, sparsely stellate-tomentose; calyx fleshy when well-developed; lobes 5, 4–10 mm, glabrous; corolla tubular-campanulate, fleshy, crimson or bright red, 3–4.5 cm, with 5 dark crimson basal nectar pouches; lobes 5, rounded, ca. 1.5 cm, emarginate; stamens 10, unequal, 1.8–2.9 cm, filaments purple, glabrous; ovary conoid, tapering into style ca. 7 mm, densely tomentose, glandular, rarely glabrous; style glabrous. Capsule cylindric, ca. 22 × 5 mm, with remnants of indumentum. Fl. Apr–May, fr. Sep–Oct.

SE Xizang, W Yunnan [Bhutan, NE India, Myanmar].

Mixed forests, Pinus forests, Rhododendron forests, bamboo forests; 2100–3600 m.