Conservation of threatened Rhododendron species
Bergen University Gardens are part of the BGCI Global Conservation Consortium for Rhododendron
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We are a a safe site for ex-situ conservation of threatened species of Rhododendron, coordinated through the BGCI Global Conservation Consortium for Rhododendron. You can read a blog post on the GCC Rhododendron site here.
Our Rhododendron species collection includes multiple accessions of 7 critically endangered (CR) and 14 endangered (EN) taxa, including Rh. dendrocharis (pictured above), as well as numerous currently classified on the IUCN red list as vulnerable (VU).
A complete list of our CR and EN Rhododendron species with additional/translated information is below. Threats follow Gibbs & al. (2011), Qin & al. (2017), and (Liu, 2019) and other details mostly summarized from Flora of China (Mingyuan & al., 2005) with additional details from Jørgensen (1996) and references as indicated.
References
- Boratyński, A., Piwczynski, M., Didukh, Y., Tasenkevich, L., Romo, À., & Ratynska, H. 2006. Distribution and phytocoenotic characteristics of relict populations of Rhododendron Myrtifolium (Ericaceae) in the Ukrainian Carpathians. Polish Botanical Studies 22: 53–62. https://digital.csic.es/handle/10261/80649
- Gibbs, D., Chamberlain, D., & Argent, G. 2011. The Red List of rhododendrons. Botanic Gardens Conservation International, UK. https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/10132
- Jørgensen, P.M. 1996. Rhododendron i Det norske arboret på Milde. Fagbokforlaget Vigmostad & Bjørke AS.Liu, B. 2019.
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI) & IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group. Rhododendron 2019–2.
- Mingyuan, F., Ruizheng, F., Mingyou, H., Linzhen, H., & Chamberlain, D.F. 2005. Rhododendron in Flora of China Vol. 14. http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=2&taxon_id=128386 (accessed 6 Mar 2023).
- Qin, H. et al. & Xue, N. 2017. Threatened Species List of China’s Higher Plants. Biodiversity Science 25: 696. https://doi.org/10.17520/biods.2017144
Critically Endangered and Endangered Rhododendon species at the University Gardens
Rhododendron adenosum
Shrubs up to ca. 2 m tall, flowers funnel-campanulate, pale pink with purple flecks. Habitat: Picea forests at 3300–3600 m. Found in SW Sichuan, China. Believed to be extinct in the wild, it was rediscovered in 2019. Its small area of occupancy is under threat of deforestation.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron amagianum
Small trees with scarlet or brick-red flowers. Restricted to a small region in central Honshu and Izu Oshima, Japan.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron amesiae
Flora of China Rhododendron.dk
Shrubs 2–4 m tall with purple flowers. Habitat: Forests at 2200–3000 m. W Sichuan, China. Rare, not found in recent years, known from just two localities in an area that has been deforested.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron balangense
Shrubs 1–3 m tall with white, bell-shaped 5-lobed flowers, the outer side of the calyx densely hairy. Habitat: Thickets on mountain slopes at 2400–3400 m. W Sichuan.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron bracteatum
Shrubs up to 3 m tall with small white or pale red bell-shaped flowers with red markings. Habitat: Forests, cliffs at 2600–3500 m [2000-3000]. NW Sichuan, China. Found only in small populations within a restricted region.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron dendrocharis
Shrubs up to 0.5–0.7 m tall with bright rosy-red flowers. Epiphytic on Abies, Tsuga, or broad-leaved trees at 2600–3000 m. Sichuan, China. Very localised.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron farinosum
Flora of China, Rhododendron.dk
Shrubs, 1–2 m tall, with white bell-shaped, 5-lobed flowers. Habitat: Thickets at ca. 3200 m. NE Yunnan (Qiaojia), China. Known from a single large population potentially under pressure from firewood collection.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron fletcherianum
Shrubs, 0.6–1.2 m tall, pale-yellow flowers. Known from a single remote mountain area in forest at ca. 3400 m. SE Xizang / NW Yunnan, China.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron galactinum
Shrubs or small trees, up to 5–8 m tall, flowers white with a deep crimson blotch. Habitat: Thickets, mountain slopes, stream banks at 2900–3500 m. W Sichuan, China.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron griersonianum
Flora of China, Rhododendron.dk
Shrubs, ca. 1.3 m tall with carmine or bright-rose-coloured flowers. Habitat: Mixed forests, thickets at 1600–2700 m. W Yunnan, China; Myanmar. Known from lowland populated areas under high pressure: may be extinct in the wild.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron hemsleyanum
Shrubs or small trees, 2–9 m tall, flowers white or white suffused pink without markings. Habitat: Forests at 1200–1500(–2000) m. SC Sichuan, China. Fewer than 5 populations and c. 250 known individuals, threatened by habitat degradation and destruction.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron kotschyi
Synonym: Rh. myrtifolium. Small shrubs, similar to Rh. ferrugineum, native to the southern Balkan Peninsula and South and East Carpathians. Restricted to severely fragmented populations over less than 500 km2 at higher elevations. Main threats are grazing, land use change, and climate change. Further reference: Boratyński & al. (2006).
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron macabeanum
Trees up to 15 m tall, pale-yellow flowers with deep red markings. Grows at 2,400-2,700 m. Only known from North-east India (Manipur, Nagaland).
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron magniflorum
Small trees, 4–6 m tall, with trusses of up to 14 very large flowers 10 cm long. Habitat: Forests, hill summits, at 1700–1800 m. Known from only two populations, in SW Guizhou, China.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron mallotum
Shrubs or small trees, 3–6(–8) m tall with small tubular, bell-shaped, crimson flowers. Habitat: Forests, Rhododendron thickets, rocky gullies at 3000–3700 m. W Yunnan, China, and NE Myanmar. Threatened by habitat destruction.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron mianningense
Shrubs, ca. 2 m tall, with terminal inflorescences of funnelform, pale yellow flowers. Found at c. 3500 m in S Sichuan (Mianning), China.
Critically Endangered (CR)
Rhododendron nitidulum var. omeiense
Small, erect or ascending shrubs, 0.2–1(–1.5) m tall with dark purplish to lavender-blue flowers. Moorlands, rocky slopes; 3200–3500 m. C Sichuan, China. Restricted to one small area within a protected area but vulnerable to pressure from tourism and fires.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron platypodum
Shrubs or small trees, 2–8 m tall, corolla funnel-campanulate, pinkish, lacking markings. Habitat: Forests, thickets, rocky slopes, at 1800–2200 m. Chongqing (Nanchuan), China. Restricted range in the wild.
Endangered (EN)
See also our video with Per Magnus Jørgensen on the May-flowering Rhododendron species page.
Rhododendron tsaii
Small shrubs, ca. 0.3 m tall corolla broadly funnelform, pale purplish. Habitat: Scrub, open ‘moss lands’ at 2900–3400 m. E Yunnan, China. Restricted distribution.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron viscidifolium
Flora of China, Rhododendron.dk
Shrubs, 1–2 m tall, corolla tubular-campanulate, coppery-red with dark flecks. Habitat: Valleys, stream banks, at 2700–3300 m. SE Xizang, China. Rare.
Endangered (EN)
Rhododendron wardii var. puralbum
Shrubs ca. 3 m tall, corolla cup-shaped, pure white. Habitat: Scrub, meadows, mountain slopes, at 3400–4600 m. SW Sichuan, NW Yunnan.
Endangered (EN)
Back to the Rhododendron species collection.
