Rhododendron cephalanthum - Flowering Head Rhododendron

Flowering Head Rhododendron is a somewhat prostrate shrub, often contorted, rarely erect, 1-2 ft tall, branchlets short, thick, scaly; bud scales persistent, prominent, linear to lanceolate. Leaf-stalks is about 3 mm, scaly. Leaves are aromatic, oblong-elliptic or oblong-ovate, 1-3.5 × 0.5-1.6 cm, base rounded, tip blunt or rounded, mucronate. Leaft underside is pale yellow-brown or reddish brown, upper surface is dark green, shiny, hairless. Flowers are borne in 5-10-flowered heads. Flower-stalks are 0.2–0.5 cm, scaly, sepals 4-7 mm, oblong or ovate, persisting to enclose mature capsule, scaly, margin long-ciliate. Flowers are narrowly tubular, with spreading lobes, white, pink, to rose, 1.2-2 cm, tube 0.6-1.3 cm, outer surface not scaly, inner surface densely hairy. Stamens are 5, not protruding, ovary 1-2 mm, densely scaly; style thick, turbinate, nearly as long as ovary. Capsules are ovoid, 3-4 mm, densely scaly. Flowering Head Rhododendron is found in the Eastern Himalayas, in Arunachal Pradesh, Myanmar and China, at altitudes of 3800-4400 m. Flowering: May-July.