Large evergreen shrubs or trees, often growing to 100 ft. in the wild, (hence its name, meaning “tree-like”) but rarely over 40 ft. in cultivation. The flowers (mid- to late spring) are bright red to carmine, rarely pink or white in a large round and full inflorescence. Leaves dark green with white to silver-colored indumentum below. Native to open or mixed forests on the lower slopes of the Himalayas from Kashmir in the west to Bhutan in the east. Occurs at elevations of 6,000 to 9,000 ft. where it is often the dominant species.
1964/118 LEO (0\R1\6). Rose (55A) in bud, opening to rose (55B) flowers with darker pink flecks and basal blotching. One of the most amazing flowers in the collection.
1974/002 'Rubaiyat' Exbury (+5\R1\6). Fantastic 1968 Award of Merit form with large trusses of deep red flowers. Grown outside here for many years and may be hardier than rated.
1976/002 CAP (0). Attractive lanceolate foliage with crimson flowers.
1976/372 Trewithen:WEB (0). The white blossomed variation of the species selected from a flowering avenue at the Cornish garden.
1979/010 (arboreum 'Dr. Bowman') KW#21976:PS (+10) A form with brilliant red flowers.
1980/127 Trewithen (+10).
1995sd149 RSBG (0\R1\6). Seedlings from 80/127 (Trewithen form) x 74/002 ‘Rubaiyat’ (AM 1968).
1997sd511 SEH#525:RSBG (+5?\R1\6). Grown from seed collected wild at 9,000 ft. in the Sikkim Himalayas from assorted plants in a large population.
1997sd513 SEH#527:RSBG (+5?\R1\6). Grown from seed collected wild at 9,000 ft. in the Sikkim Himalayas from a plant with attractive carmine-pink flowers.
1997sd552 SEH#566:RSBG (+5?\R1\6). Grown from seed collected wild at 9,000 ft. in the Sikkim Himalayas from a group of plants with the best red flowers I had seen on that expedition.
