P. geraniifolia Hook.f.
Section Cortusoides
Link to Flora of China description
Type specimen: King's collectors s.n. 1877 to 1882, Chumbi resides at and K (specimens K000750319, K000750316, K000750317) and P (specimens P04567533, P04567534).
Auganthus geraniifolius (Hook.f.) Soják (syn)
P. humicola Balf.f. & Forrest (syn): Type specimen: Forrest 14236 resides at E (specimens E00024420, E00024419) and K (specimen K000732828) and P (specimen P04567572).
P. heucherifolia subsp. humicola (Balf.f. & Forrest): W.W.Sm. & Forrest, Notes Roy. Bot. Gard. Edinburgh 16:20. 1928.
P. geranioides: Kingdon-Ward, Field Notes of Rhododendrons collected in 1933 40. 1934. Spelling of P. geraniifolia in error? Specimen KW 11045, KW 13320.
P. palmatifida: Balf.f. mss. nom. inval.
Epithet: Named for the leaves which resemble a geranium.
Distribution: Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan, Myanmar, Sichuan, Yunnan, Tibet (Xizang).
Widespread from central Nepal through Chumbi, Tibet (type location), Sikkim, Bhutan, SE Tibet to The Yunnan/Sichuan border. Probably also in N Burma. Grows in shady forests. Similar to P. septemloba but heterostylous, with only one whorl of flowers and producing a slender, creeping rootstock. Leaves orbicular, deeply cordate at the base, palmately 7-9 lobed with the lobules dentate and acute apex, thinly covered with septate hairs above, and with spreading hairs along the veins and somewhat scabrid below. Petiole distinct, densely covered in long articulate tawny hairs. Scape pilose, to 30cm with 1 (rarely 2) umbels of heterostylous rose flowers, often with a whitsh eye. Bracts linear-lanceolate to narrowly oblong. Calyx often colored reddish brown, cut to middle into into lanceolate lobes with a prominent midvein and 2 lateral veins. If you have an image of this species in the wild from Myanmar (Burma), please contact the webmaster.
