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Rhododendron rex
A tree-sized rhododendron from south-west China, usually 5 to 8 m tall, grown for its creamy to pink bell flowers and large felted leaves. It needs cool, mild, frost-free conditions and shelter from wind and hot sun.
Rhododendron rex (大王杜鹃), the king rhododendron, is a tree species, usually 5–8 m (16–26 ft) in height, in the family Ericaceae. It is found in China, India, and Myanmar, where it is threatened by habitat loss. The flowers are creamy-white, or pale yellow to pink, with a crimson basal blotch. The leaves are 17–27 cm in length and are covered on the underside with an indumentum that ranges in colour from greyish to rusty brown.
The Royal Horticultural Society describes Rhododendron rex and its subspecies as very large shrubs or trees, reaching 12 m (39 ft) in cultivation. Three of them have received the RHS Award of Garden Merit:-
Rhododendron album · Rhododendron anthopogon · Rhododendron argyrophyllum · Rhododendron augustinii · Rhododendron bureavii · Rhododendron calophytum · Rhododendron calostrotum · Bell Flowered Rhododendron · Bent-style rhododendron · Rhodora · Catawba rosebay · Georgian Snow Rose
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Rhododendron rex 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.
