Upright small tree, 2-9m. Flowers in differing shades of scarlet. Leaves retained for 1-2 years, upper surface deep green, lower surface without hairs or glands. Leaf stem usually with bristles. Rhododendron arboreum ssp.
Flowers usually pink to carmine.
Leaves a little smaller than on ssp. In the Himalayas Rhododendron trees are often used for fuel wood. It is an easy wood to cut and the branching trunks make it easier to transport than other species of trees. Large stands of rhododendrons are found in the same altitudional range as the summer grazing grounds for sheep, goats, cows and yaks. Common species in these areas are Rhododendron arboreum, Rh.