Rhododendron anthopogon Wall.

Habit

Shrub

Family Description

Trees, shrubs, or subshrubs, often evergreen, sometimes epiphytic. Leaves alternate, sometimes becoming aggregate into pseudo-whorls, simple, pinnately veined, exstipulate. Flowers in racemes, corymbs, panicles, clusters or solitary, actinomorphic or zygomorphic, bisexual. Calyx of 5(-8)sepals, free and borne on ovary, or united into tube at base. Corolla of 5(-10)petals united at base or almost to apex, tubular, barrel-shaped, urn-shaped, campanulate, funnel-shaped or salver-shaped. Ovary inferior or superior, 4-5(-20)-celled; style cylindric; stigmasimple; ovules numerous, axile. Fruit a berry or 5(-20)-valved capsule, sometimes enclosed by enlarged fleshy calyx.. . Members of the Ericaceae are of great horticultural importance in North temperate countries, particularly in Europe and north America where many genera are prized as ornamentals, including Rhododendron (by far the most important), Enkianthus, Pieris, Gaultheria, Vaccinium and Agapetes. Bhutan is particularly rich in Ericaceae, and there exists some economic potential for commercial production to the rare species.. . The family is treated here in a broad sense, including those genera sometimes placed separately in Vacciniaceae.

Genus Description

Evergreen shrubs or trees, often aromatic;indumentum of simple or compound hairs or peltate scales. Leaves alternate or clustered at branch ends, coriaceous,entire. Flowers interminal condensed racemoes, rarely solitary, weakly zygomorphic. Calyx 5(-8)-lobed, often reduced to shallow cup. Corolla campanulate, funnel-shaped or salver-shaped, rarely cylindric, with5-10 long or short lobes. stemans (5-)10(-18). Ovary 5-20-celled;stigma capitate. Capsule 4-20-valved.

Species description

Small erect aromatic shrub 15-60cm, much branched; branchlets scaly with short and long-stalked lacerate scales, these later becoming bristles. Leaves ovate, densely scaly beneath with closely overlapping, lacerate scales; petioles2-5mm. Flowers 5-10 in dense subcapitate racemes; pedicels short, 2-4mm. Calyx deeply 5-lobed, lobes ovate 3-4mm, scaly and with ciliate margins. Corolla salver-shaped, 5-lobed, white, pink or yellow, tube. Stamens ucually 5-8. Ovary scaly. Capsules 4-5mm, enclosed in calyx. Two subspecies are recognized: 1. subsp. anthopogon: Branches without persistent leaf bud scales; corolla usually pink or pinkish white sometimes lemon-yellow. 2. subsp.hypenanthum: Differs from subsp. anthopogon in its branchlets which bear persistent lanceolate leaf bud scales at nodes; corolla creamy-white or yellow, sometimes pink.