Rhododendron selense

Rhododendron selense (多变杜鹃) is a rhododendron species native to southwestern Sichuan, eastern Xizang, and western Yunnan in China, where it grows at altitudes of 2700-4000 m. It is an evergreen shrub that grows to 1-2 m in height, with leaves that are oblong-elliptic or obovate to elliptic, 4–8 by 2–4 cm in size. The flowers are pink.

It is best seen in its native habitat, where many thousands of plants can be seen flowering during April and May. In cultivation it takes several years to flower.

Taxonomy
Rhododendron selense was first described by Adrien René Franchet in 1898.

Subspecies
Three subspecies are recognized:
 * Rhododendron selense subsp. dasycladum (Balf.f. & W.W.Sm.) D.F.Chamb.
 * Rhododendron selense subsp. jucundum (Balf.f. & W.W.Sm.) D.F.Chamb.
 * Rhododendron selense subsp. selense

Conservation
In 1998, Rhododendron dasycladum was assessed as "vulnerable" and said to be an endemic of a single mountain in Yunnan, China. , this species is regarded one of the synonyms of ''Rh. selense'' subsp. dasycladum, which has a much wider distribution in eastern Tibet, southwestern Sichuan and northwestern Yunnan.