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Rhododendron kawakamii is a small epiphytic shrub native to the fog forests of Taiwan, growing on tree branches and rock faces at high altitude. It is cold-loving and needs cool, humid, bright conditions, so it is rarely grown outside its native cool mountain climate.
Rhododendron kawakamii is a plant endemic to Taiwan. It is also called Kawakami's rhododendron, as the type specimen was collected by Takiya Kawakami and others from Mount Niitaka (today named Yu Shan or Mount Jade). This species is the only native, epiphytic, yellow flowered rhododendron in Taiwan, and is scattered in the fog forest belt of the island at an altitude of about 1,500 to 2,500 m (4,900 to 8,200 ft). It was first published as a new species by Bunzo Hayata in 1911. The wild community was assessed as "near-threatened" in the Taiwan Red Book of Vascular Plants in 2017.
This species is only found in Taiwan. Its known, recorded locations include Taiping Mountain in Yilan, Taman Mountain in Taoyuan, Yuanyang Lake area in Hsinchu, Luandashan in Nantou, Alishan in Chiayi, Dagui Lake area in Kaohsiung, Wutou Mountain in Pingtung, and Mizuho Forest Road in Hualien. The distribution locations and habitats are mostly mountain fog forests with an altitude of 1,500 to 2,500 meters. Normally, they are attached to large trees or rock walls, including to the branches of the Taiwan red cypress (Chamaecyparis formosensis Matsum).
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 kawakamii 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.
