Rhododendron rex

Rhododendron rex
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
(unranked): Angiosperms
(unranked): Eudicots
(unranked): Asterids
Order: Ericales
Family: Ericaceae
Genus: Rhododendron
Species: R. rex
Binomial name
Rhododendron rex
H. Lév.

Rhododendron rex (大王杜鹃), the king rhododendron, is a tree species, usually 5–7 meters in height, in the Ericaceae family. It is found in China, India, and Myanmar, where it is threatened by habitat loss. Flowers are creamy-white, or pale yellow to pink, with a crimson basal blotch. Leaves are 17–27 cm in length and are covered on the underside with indumentum that ranges in colour from greyish to rusty brown.

The Royal Horticultural Society describes Rhododendron rex and its subspecies as very large shrubs or trees, reaching 12 m (39 ft) in cultivation. Three of them have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit:-

  • R. rex[1]
  • R. rex subsp. fictolacteum[2]
  • R. rex subsp. rex[3]

There is a further named subspecies, R. rex subsp. gratum. All are hardy down to −15 °C (5 °F), but like most rhododendrons they require a sheltered position in dappled shade, and acid soil enriched with leaf mould.

Sources

  1. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Rhododendron rex". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  2. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Rhododendron rex subsp. fictolacteum". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  3. ↑ "RHS Plantfinder - Rhododendron rex subsp. rex". Retrieved 6 October 2018.
  • H. Léveillé, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 13: 340. 1914.
  • World Conservation Monitoring Centre (1998). "Rhododendron rex". The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN. 1998: e.T32451A9707997. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T32451A9707997.en. Retrieved 16 December 2017.
  • The Plant List
  • Flora of China
  • Hirsutum


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