Rhododendron edgeworthii - Inflated Rhododendron

Inflated Rhododendron is an evergreen shrub, often epiphytic, 0.3-1 m tall. The covering of fine hairs is dark orange to pale beige-brown. Flowers are borne in 1-flowered clusters. Flowers are funnel- or bell-shaped, white or white flushed pink, may have yellow blotch at base, fragrant, 3.4-7.5 cm, tube 2.5-3.5 cm. Flower-stalks are 1-2 cm long, densely woolly, calyx red or tinged red, deeply 5-lobed, sepals 1.1-1.7 cm, oblong, ovate or rounded, unequal, persisting to enclose mature capsule. Stamens are 10, unequal, filaments densely hairy below, ovary densely woolly, sparsely scaly, style straight, about as long as corolla, base scaly and woolly. Leaf stalks are 0.5-2.5 cm, leaves leathery, ovate-elliptic, oblong or oblong-lanceshaped, 4-16 x 2-6 cm, base rounded, tip long-pointed or shortly tapering, densely brown or fawn, woolly below, strongly wrinkled or puckered, smooth above. Capsule is cylindric-ovate or globose, 1.0-2.2 cm, scaly, densely woolly. Inflated Rhododendron is found in the Himalayas, at altitudes of 2000-4000 m. Flowering: April-June.