Rhododendron aganniphum I. B. Balf. & Kingdon-Ward

This species hybridizes in the wild with both Rhododendron phaeochrysum and R. proteoides.

Shrubs, 1–4 m tall; young shoots glabrous. Petiole 8–15 mm, glabrous or with a few glands; leaf blade thickly leathery, oblong to elliptic-oblong, sometimes ovate-lanceolate or elliptic, 4.5–12 × 2–6 cm; base rounded to subcordate; margin revolute; apex acute and apiculate; abaxial surface white to yellowish or pale brown, sometimes turning deep red-brown, with indumentum 1-, rarely 2-, layered, dense, compacted to spongy tomentose, sometimes splitting, with or without pellicle, hairs branched; adaxial surface slightly rugulose, glabrous. Inflorescence racemose-umbellate, 10–20-flowered; rachis ca. 5 mm, glabrous. Pedicel 0.8–1.5 cm, glabrous; calyx lobes 5, 1–1.5 mm, rounded, glabrous, margin ± ciliate; corolla funnel-campanulate or campanulate, white or pale pink, with many purplish red spots inside, 3–3.5 cm, lobes 5, slightly unequal; stamens 10, filaments sparsely puberulent near base; ovary 4–5 mm, glabrous; style ca. 2.3 cm, glabrous. Capsule cylindric, straight, 15–25 × 5–7 mm. Fl. Jun–Jul, fr. Sep–Oct.

S Qinghai, W Sichuan, SE Xizang, NW Yunnan.

Coniferous forests, forest margins, thickets, mountains, slopes; 2700–4700 m.