Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers. It includes the plants known to gardeners as azaleas. It is the national flower of Nepal.
Rhododendron anthopogonoides Maximowicz,Small, erect shrubs, 1–1.5(–2) m tall; branchlets thick, scaly; bud scales deciduous. Petiole 2–4(–5) mm, scaly; leaf blade aromatic, ovate-elliptic, broadly elliptic or ovate, (1.5–)2–3.5(–4.7) × 1–1.8(–2.3) cm; base rounded or truncate; apex obtuse or rounded, mucronate; abaxial surface scales overlapping, arranged in several tiers, reddish brown or dark brown plastered; adaxial surface bluish green, matt, sparsely scaly or glabrous. Inflorescence 10–20-flowered. Pedicel 1–2 cm, not scaly; calyx lobes 3–4(–4.5) mm, oblong-obovate or elliptic-ovate, persisting to enclose mature capsule, scales absent, margin erose, ciliate and with a few scales.
Picea forests, scrub, slopes; 2900–3700 m. Gansu, Qinghai, NW Sichuan.