Rhododendron strigillosum

Rhododendron strigillosum (芒刺杜鹃) is a rhododendron species native to Sichuan and Yunnan in China, where it grows at altitudes of 1,600–3,800 m (5,200–12,500 ft). It is an evergreen shrub growing to 2–5 m (6.6–16.4 ft) in height, with leathery leaves that are oblong-lanceolate to lanceolate, 8–16 by 2.2–4 cm in size. The flowers are red or white.

Rhododendron strigillosum
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Eudicots
Clade:	Asterids
Order:	Ericales
Family:	Ericaceae
Genus:	Rhododendron
Species:	R. strigillosum
Binomial name
Rhododendron strigillosum Franch.

It flowers too early (March–April) to be reliable in climates with extensive frosts, and is therefore not often seen in general cultivation.^[1]