Bureau Rhododendron

An evergreen shrub native to western Yunnan Province, China, reaching 4 feet. Funnel-campanulate flowers about 2 inches long, white or rose, sometimes with purple or crimson markings. Valued as much for its foliage as its flowers: new growth emerges covered in a distinctive rusty-red woolly indumentum.

The thick rusty-red indumentum on young shoots and leaf undersides is the primary ornamental feature and persists year-round. Compact habit for a species rhododendron. Acidic, well-drained soil. Twenty-one diseases and 15 pests documented at the genus level. All parts contain grayanotoxins and are toxic if ingested.