Rhododendrons

Rhododendron atrovirens

Subgenus Tsutsusi Section Tsutsusi

Species evergreen azalea

Epithet: Dark green

H4/5*

Large shrub or a small tree up to 2m, very occasionally taller

Flowers: Trusses of 2-4 funnel campanulate, single flowers. Flowers are 15-30mm long; red with darker flecks of red at the base of the upper three lobes; 10 stamens of unequal length

April-May

Not scented

Foliage: Leaves are monomorphic, persistent, lanceolate to elliptic 20-80mm long × 10-30mm wide; initially covered in shiny brown hairs on both surfaces on new growth, eventually becoming glabrous on the surface but not the midrib. Upper leaf surface bright green; lower surface pale green. Evergreen

Distribution: Grows in thickets and under the canopy of forests at 750-1800m in N E Yunnan, Sichuan and Guizhou, China

Other information: First discovered in Yunnan by Abbé Delavay in 1882 and introduced to the UK by Alan Clark in 1995. A relatively recent addition to species evergreen azaleas growing in the UK. * Insufficient evidence as yet to establish the exact hardiness of this species azalea but it looks as if it may hardier than R. oldhamii. Not commercially available