Rhododendron arboreum Sm.

 
  • Family : ERICACEAE
    (Heather Family)
  • Family (Hindi name) : RHODODENDRON FAMILY (बुराँश फैमिली)
  • Family (as per The APG System III) : Ericaceae
  • Synonym(s) : Azalea arborea (Sm.) Kuntze; Rhododendron venustum Salisb.
  • Species Name (as per The IPNI) : Rhododendron arboreum Sm.
  • Common name : Tree Rhododendron
  • Vernacular name :
    • Burans, Lal buransh (Hindi)
    • Billi (Tamil)
    • Kattupoo varasu (Malayalam)
    • Pu (Kannada)
    • Lali gurans (Nepali)
    • Kokluiwon (Tangkhul)
    • Chhawkhlei (Mizo)
  • Habit : Tree
  • Habitat : Evergreen oak and Blue Pine forests, 1200 - 3000 m. altitude
  • Comments / notes : It is the state tree of Uttarakhand. It is extremely variable in stature, hardiness, flower color and leaf characteristics. This plant holds the Guinness Record for World's Largest Rhododendron.
  • Key identification features : Abaxial leaf surface with white to silvery-white indumentum; corolla red to carmine, rarely pink.
  • Flower, Fruit : March-July
  • Distribution :
    • Tamil Nadu : The Nilgiri district
    • Uttarakhand : Dehradun
    • Sikkim : East Sikkim (Gangtok) district
    • West Bengal : Darjeeling district
    • Himachal Pradesh : Himachal Pradesh
    • Arunachal Pradesh : Arunachal Pradesh
    • Meghalaya : East Khasi Hills (Shillong) district
    • Assam : Assam
    • Nagaland : Nagaland
    • Mizoram : Mizoram
    • Manipur : Manipur
    • Tripura : Tripura
  • Native : Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet
  • Exotic/Native : Native
  • World Distribution : Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tibet
  • Literature :
    • Uniyal B.P., Sharma J.R., Choudhery U., Singh D.K. (2007). Flowering Plants of Uttarakhand: A Checklist. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh: 166
    • GRIERSON A.J.C. & LONG D.G. (1983). FLORA OF BHUTAN INCLUDING A RECORD OF PLANTS FROM SIKKIM Vol. 2: Part 1. ROYAL BOTANIC GARDEN, EDINBURGH: 372-373
    • K. Sankara Rao photography
  • Read more :
  • Citation : Sankara Rao, K., Deepak Kumar (2024). India Flora Online. http://indiafloraonline-ces.iisc.ac.in/plants.php?name=Rhododendron arboreum. Downloaded on 13 December 2024.

Field Image(s)

India Distribution

World Distribution

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