Rhododendrons

arboreum ssp. zeylanicum

R. arboreum
ssp. zeylanicum
Arborea subsection
H2/3
Height: 2-12m.
10 year height/spread: 2m/2m.
Flowers: crimson, pink or red, 5 nectar pouches.
April - July.
Leaves: rugose, margin recurved, indumentum plastered, shiny, whitish to coppery
Introduced: c. 1835.
Recognise by: the deeply impressed leaf veins, the broader leaves than R. arboreum and the shiny indumentum.
From Sri Lanka, so less hardy than most forms of arboreum. The older introductions are late flowering, but recent introductions seem to flowering earlier, and the species is quite variable in the wild.

Photo: Mike Robinson

Photo: Mike Robinson