Rhododendron crassifolium

Rhododendron crassifolium is a species of tropical rhododendron, a perennial flowering plant belonging to the family Ericaceae.^[1] It is placed in section Schistanthe.^[2]

Rhododendron crassifolium
Flowers in Kinabalu Botanical Garden, Sabah
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Rhododendron
Subgenus:	Rhododendron subg. Vireya
Section:	Rhododendron sect. Schistanthe
Species:	R. crassifolium
Binomial name
Rhododendron crassifolium Stapf[1]

Growing in a basket hanging in a tree in a suburb of Seattle, Washington. It originally came from Borneo and was propagated by the Rhododendron Species Foundation.

Description

Rhododendron crassifolium is a tropical rhododendron native to mountainside forests of Borneo at 1,200–2,200 m (3,900–7,200 ft). It is a medium size evergreen shrub about 90–120 cm (35–47 in) tall. Leaves are dark green, broad, ribbed and elliptic. The bell-shaped flowers are red-orange. The flowering period extends from June through August.^{[citation needed]}

Subspecies

As of February 2024^[update], Plants of the World Online accepted two species:^[1]

• Rhododendron crassifolium var. crassifolium, synonyms Rhododendron brevitubum, Rhododendron crassinervium
• Rhododendron crassifolium var. pseudomurudense (Sleumer) Argent, synonyms Rhododendron murudense, Rhododendron pseudomurudense

Distribution

The species is native to the island of Borneo.^[1]

Habitat

This species is typical of the shaded mountain forests. It prefers acidic, well-drained, organic soil in partial sun to partial shade.^{[citation needed]}