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Rhododendron intricatum

Rhododendron intricatum
Photo: Bentham-Moxon Trust.; Curtis, William; Curtis's botanical magazine dedications, 1827-1927 : portraits and biographical n, Public domain

Rhododendron intricatum is a compact, evergreen alpine shrub from high mountains in western China, growing 50 to 100 cm tall and flowering profusely even when only a few centimetres tall. It is a good rock garden subject that needs cool, well-drained conditions.

Family
Ericaceae (Heather family)
Grows as
Shrub
Light
Part shade
Water
Keep soil evenly moist and never waterlogged; water with rainwater or soft water where possible.
Soil
Acidic, humus-rich, free-draining soil or a gritty ericaceous mix.
Temperature
Cool conditions suited to its alpine origin; hardy to about -20 °C, protect pot-grown plants from heat above 25 °C.
How easy
Moderate
Safety
Toxic: All parts of rhododendrons contain grayanotoxins, which can cause nausea, vomiting, low blood pressure and heart rhythm problems if eaten.. Toxic to cats and dogs (ASPCA).
Native range
China (W. & C. Sichuan, N. Yunnan)
Climate
subalpine or subarctic

About

Rhododendron intricatum (隐蕊杜鹃) is a rhododendron species native to central and western Sichuan, as well as northern Yunnan, China, where it grows at altitudes of 3,500–4,500 m (11,500–14,800 ft). It is an evergreen shrub that typically grows to 50–100 cm (20–39 in) in height, with leaves that are oblong-elliptic to ovate, and 0.5–1.2 × 0.3–0.7 cm in size. The flowers are pale lavender, purple-blue to dark blue, or rarely yellowish.

This very compact shrub flowers profusely when it is only a few centimetres tall, and is also hardy, being an alpine plant. It is therefore a suitable subject for a rock garden.

Other Rhododendron plants

Rhododendron aberconwayi · Sagan Dalya · Rhododendron adenogynum · Rhododendron adenosum · Rhododendron aganniphum · Cascade azalea · Rhododendron albrechtii · Rhododendron album · Rhododendron alutaceum · Rhododendron annae · Rhododendron anthopogon · Rhododendron araiophyllum

Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron intricatum by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.

The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.

Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.

Pet safety from the ASPCA toxic and non-toxic plant lists.

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