Rhododendrons

Rhododendron bureavii

Taliensia subsection

Epithet: after a French professor, E. Bureau (1830-1918)

Synonym: Rhododendron cruentum

AM 1939 Exbury, AM 1972 Windsor (for foliage) AM 1988 P A Cox, Glendoick to a clone 'Ardrishaig'

AGM (1993) 2012

H6

A shrub growing to 1-1.5m in 10 years, ultimately 1.5 - 6m

Flowers: Dense trusses of 10-20 tubular-campanulate flowers; corolla white flushed pink sometimes with purple flecks. Flowers are 20-40mm long

April-May

Not scented

Foliage: Elepidote. Leaves are oblong-lanceolate, oblong-elliptic or elliptic; 45-140mm long x 20-70mm wide; upper surface often has a thin covering of rusty red hairs; underside is covered with a thick woolly indumentum, initially salmon pink turning rusty red with maturity

Distribution: Yunnan and Sichuan at 3200-4300m

Other Information: Introduced from Yunnan by George Forrest in 1917

Number 7 of the Top 100 Rhododendrons chosen by members of the RCM Group in 2015

A distinctive species and one of the best foliage plants of the genus. Commercially available