Rhododendron hippophaeoides

Rhododendron hippophaeoides (灰背杜鹃) is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae. It is in the subgenus Rhododendron (scaly or lepidote rhododendrons), subsection Lapponica. It is a small shrub, up to 4 ft tall at maturity, native to altitudes of 2400-4800 m in southwest Sichuan and many parts of Yunnan, China. The leaves are up to 1.5 in long, gray-green above, and with overlapping yellowish-buff scales below. The flowers are bright rose or lavender-blue to bluish purple, or (rarely) white.