Rhododendron florulentum P. C. Tam

Rhododendron hepaticum and R. piceum are better treated as synonyms of R. florulentum, not of R. rufulum (R. apricum in the present account) as was given in FRPS (57(2): 400. 1994).

Shrubs; branchlets short, shortly ferruginous spreading setose and glandular-setose. Spring and summer leaves different. Petiole 6–10 mm, indumentum as for branchlets; spring leaf blade ovate or elliptic to elliptic-ovate, 3.5–8.5 × 1.2–4.5 cm; base broadly cuneate or subrounded; apex subacute to slightly emarginate; abaxial surface densely yellow-brown woolly and ferruginous strigose; adaxial surface with scattered soft silvery hairs; summer leaves 2.2–3.0 cm, otherwise as for spring leaves. Inflorescence 12–14-flowered. Pedicel 0.9–1.3 cm, densely pale strigose; calyx cup-shaped; lobes triangular, small, coarsely strigose, apex acute; corolla tubular-funnelform, rose-pink to reddish purple, ca. 2.5 cm; lobes narrowly oblong or lanceolate-oblong, ca. 1.2 × 0.4 cm, margin shallowly undulate, apex shortly acuminate; stamens 5, unequal, 2.5–2.8 cm, longer than style, filaments glabrous; ovary ovoid, ca. 3 mm, densely strigose; style slender, ca. 2.3 cm, glabrous. Fl. May.

Mixed forests, thickets on mountain slopes. C and SW Fujian, NE Guangdong (Jiaoling).